Draco's Saving Grace from his Devastating Past
by PuffsOfPygmys
Summary: What would happen if Harry was the Master Of Death and was able to find a way to save Draco from his overwhelming grief? [Harry Potter/Severus Snape, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Past Draco Malfoy/Astoria Greengrass, Draco Malfoy/Fred Weasley/George Weasley, Severus Lives, Fred Lives, Slash, Master of Death Harry Potter, Eventual MPREG]
1. 1: Draco

**A/N:** **So, I know I said I wouldn't start another work, but this idea has plagued me the last couple of days and I had to get it out into the world to my faithful readers.** **I hope you enjoy it! It will only be a few short chapters, but I'm not sure how many as of yet, but definitely not as many as my first one.** **No need to worry, I will be getting back to that one in the next day or so! Promise!**

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Draco stared in horror at his family's ritual room. There were runes painted everywhere, whether it was from blood or paint, he had no idea. There were candles, black with blazing flames. Astoria was in the middle of the room, naked and also covered in runes, carved into her flesh. Her usually well-kept hair in disarray with blood streaked through it. She sat in an inverted pentagram and there, on the floor before her, was the body of an unusually quiet, day-old infant. His son, his Scorpius.

"What have you done!" he cried out. He would have rushed to them, to his baby boy, but for the fact that the circle around them was still unbroken. The magic that still lingered in the room. The overwhelming _blackness_ told him the type of ritual used. "What have you done to our son!" he demanded.

He took a step back when Astoria glanced back at him with a serene smile that scared him nearly as much as the lingering magic did. Her eyes alight with happiness as she said, "I was summoning the Dark Lord's spirit. To bring him back."

Draco took another step back, his eyes darting between his wife and the infant laying on the floor. Its eerie stillness making more sense. "You killed our son…" he whispered in utter horror.

"No," she stood, cradling the body of her son, "I'm bring back the Dark Lord, Darling. Don't you see? It's a _good_ thing!"

He shook his head, "No… _no…_ " he turned and ran. He ran to the most secure part of his manor, away from the horrors behind him, the son that was dead, and towards the only man that was truly family to him.

He pulled open the door to the sitting room and rushed to the fireplace. He took a handful of Floo powder, tossed it in and shouted, "Greengrass Manor!" and waited, anxiously.

"Draco, is that you?" a warm voice asked from the fire.

Draco glanced up and said quickly, "I need you and Lord Greengrass here Madam. It is of great urgency and importance. It's about…about Astoria." He managed to choke out past the lump in his throat. "Please, I need you both here. I'll leave the floo open. Hurry…" and he stepped away from the fireplace and walked over to the couch, facing the door to the bedroom where his father-figure lay.

His head was bowed as he remembered the day before, the moment he held his little boy the first time…

\/*\/* Flashback \/*\/*

Draco stared down at the sleeping bundle in his arms in wonder and awe, "I promise, my little Scorpius, you will be raised differently than I. You will know love and a childhood, raised to know that not all Gryffindor's are awful and that not all Slytherin's are bad. I mean, one did save the whole of our world. Saved me from my own stupidity."

Draco took his sons tine hand in his before raising him high enough to kiss his forehead. Bring him back down, Draco watched and memorized his little face. _Such a sweet boy, and only minutes old. I can't believe I'm a father now._ He glanced over at his sleeping wife, exhausted after hours of labor, and smiled lovingly. _How did I get so lucky!_

\/*\/* End Flashback \/*\/*

A hand on his shoulder startled him from his thoughts and he spun around, only to see his concerned in-laws. "Draco, darling, is Astoria and Scorpius alright?" Lady Greengrass asked.

"No…no, they are not alright. My beautiful son, my heir, is dead and my beloved wife is deranged…I swore I would never do this, but I must ask for a dissolution of the Marriage Contract…I cannot be married to her after what she has done." Draco said, anguish filling his voice and clearly expressed on his face, in his eyes.

"What do you mean Draco? What has happened that caused you to ask this? And what of Scorpius? What do you mean he is dead?" Lord Greengrass asked, confused and a little angry at his son-in-law for asking this of him.

Draco shook his head, eyes closed, "I…I cannot speak of it…" he turned from them, only to call for his elf, "Tilly, I need you to bring me my pensive from my office. Quickly!" he called out, only form there to be a 'pop' as she arrived with the said object, placing it gently where it wasn't it in the way before 'popping' back out.

Draco turned and walked to the basin, wand already at his head. First, he thought of the day before, the birth of his child, and placed it in the pensive. Next, he thought of the horror he woke to. Once both memories were able to be seen, Draco walked away from it again, his back towards the Greengrasses and the basin. "I will not be joining you…I cannot see it again, the horror, the _magic!_ I simply cannot…" he glanced at them over his shoulder, "I am sorry, truly sorry…" and he finally let the tears that threatened to fall, escape.

If he had been watching, Draco would have seen the Lord and Lady Greengrass look at each other with worry and concern, before, hand in hand, putting a figure on the runes and letting the pensive show them his memories.

Draco knew not how long he stood there, tears falling down his cheeks, his hair, usually immaculate, disheveled and falling into his face. He clothes were rumpled seeing as he hadn't bothered getting dressed when he found his wife and child missing just over an hour before. He felt lost and unbalanced. All he knew was that his son was dead and his wife, a monster.

" _Oh Merlin!_ " was a gasp that brought Draco back to his senses. He turned and saw his father-in-law holding his wife, horror, fear, and grief etched on their faces.

"Let us not speak of what I have asked of you now. Let us wait for tomorrow. I have already locked down the Manor as I came here to get you, to show you. She cannot leave, nor can she find this place. We are heavily warded here." Draco turned to the door he had been facing when they first came.

Walking to the bedroom, his hand on the handle, he looked over his shoulder, "Come, this way," and he opened the door and walked in. He stood for a moment looking at the figure on the bed.

"Severus?" Lord Greengrass asked, "I thought he was dead." He walked over to the bed with his wife as Draco sat in his customary chair.

"That was what we decided the populace could believe if they decided to do so." Draco said wearily. "Potter came to me after the Battle was over, he informed me that he was only able to stabilize him, to put him in a magical coma, and asked if I could take him somewhere where he would be out of the spotlight and we could find a way to heal him." He sighed and took the hand of the prone man.

"What happened?" the Lady asked.

"We are unsure of what magic's exactly are causing us such distress in healing him. The only thing we really know for certain is that that blasted _snake_ , Nagini, bit him, and Potter was witness to that." Draco informed them, gently squeezing the hand in his. "I brought him here, warded several rooms on this side of the manor, so that none but the few I allow can enter. The floo you came through granted you temporary entrance since it was within the warded area." He informed them when he saw that they were about to ask.

"I have hired healers from all over the world to see what can be done, if he can be healed. They all agree that once they find a way to neutralize all the foreign magic's, and his own magic strengthens and can begin to heal him, only then will he wake. The all agree that they do not know how long that would take. Potter, in exchanged, did everything he could to make sure I and Uncle Severus remained free of Azkaban." He finished so that they can ask any other questions.

"What all did Potter do to accomplish this? We know that Severus has been exonerated, but we are unsure of how that was done," Lord Greengrass asked.

"Memories, provided by Sev himself and that of what he had done through the years to help and make sure that Potter survived."

"So, Potter provided his own memories as well?"

"Yes, but not just his, those of fellow Gryffindor's and the other houses that last year. From the staff as well. Their testimonies are what pardoned him. As for is inability to speak for himself, we had the many healers who saw to him take their results to the Wizengamont and had three impartial members come here as proof to his coma. It was enough to keep him out of Azkaban and to award him with the Merlin First Class. It was agreed that he should remain hidden for the time being, seeing as no one really knows when he will wake."

"So, he remains here, in your care."

Draco nodded and stood. He turned from the man in the bed and the Greengrasses. He shoulders began to shake as the shock finally started to wear off. He hugged himself and let the tears flow and the sobs to break through in the aftermath of the devastation he felt. He was so overwhelmed be his own grief that he did not hear anything but the murmur of a spell before he was met with darkness.

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 **A/N: Please Read and Review!**


	2. 2: Harry

**Summary:** **Harry learns what happened...**

 **Enjoy!**

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Harry sighed as he took a sip of his cold Butterbeer. He knew that Ginny was going behind his back, that she and her mother were conspiring against him for his money and titles, titles that he could honestly care less about. He hasn't yet gone against him, not yet, but soon. It's been 5 years since the Battle of Hogwarts, he has put off the rest of his destiny for nearly long enough. Death may be patient, but his patience was running out in regard to his Master's lack of responsibilities.

With another heavy sigh and a gulp of Butterbeer, Harry sat forward and placed his head between his knees. He has yet to figure out how to tell the other Weasley's and Hermione.

"Hey mate, we've been looking for you." Ron said as he came over.

"What's up Ron?" he asked, standing and brushing loose dirt off his jeans.

"You have got to read this. I can hardly believe that Malfoy would do this!" he said, handing him the morning's _Daily Prophet_.

Harry raised an eyebrow, handed his best friend his drink, and took the paper. Both brows rose as he read the headline, shock written on his face. "What in Merlin's name?" he asked.

 **A Malfoy Does the Unthinkable**

 **Dissolved Marriage Contract and a Disowned heir**

By: Sally Moresberry

 _It was a shock when this story came across my desk late last night. I felt it was my duty to report this to the very best of my ability and just as accurately with what little information we were given. With that said, let me tell you what I know._

 _A report from Gringotts made its way to the ministry early in the morning two days ago. A report that proves that Malfoy's, who are known to usually put family before anything else, has done something no one in Wizarding Britain has ever done in the past._

 _Though the reasons from this are currently unknown, but that will not stop me from reporting what has happened: Draco Malfoy has dissolved his marriage to Astoria Malfoy nee Greengrass as well as disowned his own son and heir, Scorpius._

 _The boy is only days old and now has no family name. The poor thing isn't even allowed his mother's family name, seeing as Lord and Lady Greengrass has disowned their youngest daughter and their grandson along with Lord Malfoy._

 _With the reasons for this, as I said, are currently unknown, but what is known is that both the Greengrasses and Malfoy are in this together. Whatever has happened to cause this, it had to be bad enough for Malfoy to dissolve his Marriage Contract with approval from his father-in-law, Lord Greengrass, and to disown his only child._

 _If any other news or reports make their way to my desk, I will do my duty and report it to all of you. For now, this is all we have here at the_ Daily Prophet _._

Harry held out his hand for his Butterbeer, wishing it was firewhiskey, "Bloody hell!" was all he could say as he turned and headed into his house. "What the fuck happened? Draco loves Astoria! And he was so excited about his son the last time I saw him."

"So, what are you going to do?" Ron asked, leaning on the door jam. "I mean, I know the two of you have come to some kind of truce, but I don't see what you see in him. Yeah, I know he's changed, that much a blind man could see, but still." He shook his head and sat at the table Harry was standing by.

"It's complicated, mate," Harry told him, "but to answer your questions, I plan on going over there and asking him myself. That, and he has some damn good firewhiskey I find myself in need of."

Ron laughed, "I can second the need for some firewhiskey."

Harry nodded and finished off his drink before saying, "I need to go and figure out what's happened. I'll check in with both you and Hermione in the morning, yeah?"

"Sounds good."

Harry let out another sigh, stood, and tossed the bottle into the trash can, "Damn it Draco, what's happening over there?" and with that, he left the house and apparated outside Malfoy Manor.

'Pop'. "How can Tilly be helping young Master?" the house elf asked.

"I really wish you guys would stop calling me that," he muttered. "Please take me to see Draco, I need to speak with him."

"Right away young Master, if young Master be taking Tilly's hand, Tilly be taking young Master to Master Draco." She said, holding her hand out for him to take.

Without replying, Harry took her small hand and let her take him to her master.

"Harry, what a surprise." A voice drawled.

"Is it really Draco? You knew I would be here the moment I read that article." Harry said with a chuckle.

"True. Come on. Let's go visit Uncle Severus and I'll do my best to tell you."

"Lead the way," he said, and with that said, Draco led Harry to the warded part of the manor, and to his godfather.

"So, the Greengrasses supported this?" he asked as they made their way through the halls.

"Yes, once they understood why."

"Whatever it was, I am sorry about your son, Draco. I'm sorry you had to do what you did."

"That thing is _not_ my son, Potter, and it never will be again." Draco said as he turned and looked at him with a mild glare.

Harry put his hands up in surrender, "I don't know what happened, but I am sorry it had to be done."

He watched as Draco deflated, hunched over, and shook his head. Whatever had happened, it had to be bad. To change the subject, Harry spoke, "So, I'm going to be taking up a job offer, one I've been delaying taking for the past 5 years."

"Since the Battle? You've had a job offer since the Battle, and you haven't taken it? What's wrong with you Potter?" Draco demanded, straightening up as he continued to walk.

"Denial. It's not what I wanted or asked for. It was kind of handed to me by my father, Dumbledore, and Voldemort, though they didn't know it at the time. But the Boss, and he feels like he's the boss, though that's what I'm supposed to be, has let me stay in denial for this long, but his vast patience with me is dwindling to almost nothing." Harry replied.

"Seriously? A part of me wants to know, but the other part…not so much." Harry smiled at Draco, happy to be able to banter with him despite the dark circles indicating his lack of sleep.

"Yeah, well it's complicated, but it's what it is."

Draco looked back at him and smirked, "I bet. So, tell me, what's this job you've been in denial about?"

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," Harry sighed with a shake of his head.

"Try me…because I'd probably believe it over what I actually went through." Draco said, opening the door to Severus's room.

"It was really that bad?" Harry asked, seeing a cot in the room along with a stand with a pensive. Not commenting on the set up, he walked over to the bed and asked, "How has he been?"

"Unchanged and probably worse then you are thinking." Draco said as he sat down in his usual seat. "Out with it, Scarhead."

Sitting down next to him, Harry let out a sigh, "Have you read the story, _Tale of the Three Brothers_?" he asked, not looking at him.

"Of course, every pureblood has heard the story. Wait…are you telling me that this has something to do with the Deathly Hallows? Isn't that a fairytale?" Draco asked, looking at him incredulously.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Remember third year and you saw my floating head near the Shrieking Shack?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"That was only possible due to my dad leaving me a family heirloom. An Invisibility cloak passed down for generations, starting with Ignotus Peverell," Harry started, only for Draco to interrupt.

"Hence your father's involvement."

Nodding, Harry continued, "Next came the Resurrection Stone. It was once a Gaunt heirloom, one of the only things that Voldemort could claim to have any value, but he made it into a horcrux. Dumbledore found it in his magical family's shack in Little Haggleton. It was cursed, and Dumbledore put it one, even knowing what it was. Once it was on, another curse took hold and had slowly killed him over the course of our 6th year at Hogwarts. He managed to destroy it, the horcrux and the curse that clung to it, leaving only a crack in the stone. He left it to me in his Will, though I didn't know it until I figured out the riddle as I was walking to my death." He shook his head of the memories.

"That leaves Voldemort..." Draco started, prompting Harry to speak again.

"Yes, and you in a sense," Harry said with a nod.

"Me? How?"

Harry gave him a small smile and continued, "That night on the tower, when you disarmed Dumbledore, you disarmed him of the Elder Wand, also known as the…"

"The Death Stick…" Draco said in awe. "He had the Death Stick and I disarmed him?"

"You did. You were the owner of the Elder Wand for some time, though Voldemort thought that it was Severus that had disarmed him because…"

"It was him that killed Dumbledore."

"Yes. So, by the time Voldemort got the wand, think that Severus had disarmed Dumbledore, you were the owner, and he was clueless. When the Snatchers caught us, I had managed to disarm you, here, and by disarming you…" again Draco interrupted.

"You became the owner of the Elder Wand." His voice still filled with awe, and his eyes wide.

Harry chuckled, "Yes, I did. Will you let me finish now?" he asked. Draco nodded like a little boy hearing a fantastic story for the first time. "Good. I didn't know it at the time, not until near the very end, after watching…watching Nagini strike at Severus, and then seeing his memories. Dumbledore had it all planned out, manipulative bastard that he was. When Voldemort cast the Killing Curse at me, I knew the Ender Wand wouldn't be forced to kill it's true wielder, so I cast Expelliarmus, knowing that it wouldn't kill me and back fire similar to back in the graveyard, but not with Priori Incantatem like our brother wands had, but…"

"Because it was _your_ wand to begin with, therefore…"

"Therefore, it couldn't betray me the way Voldemort had tried by casting the Killing Curse." Harry finished.

"So, let me get this straight. Your father left you the Invisibility Cloak, Dumbledore the Resurrection Stone, and for all intense and purposes, I practically handed to you via Voldemort, thus, according to the Beadle the Bard, make you the Master of Death…You've been avoiding taking up your role of MOD?" Draco asked, shocked.

Harry sighed and placed his head in his hands, "Yes. It's not a job I asked for or wanted."

Draco shook his head but said nothing, letting the subject drop for the time being.

"What's with the pensive?" Harry finally asked.

"My memories…the reason why I did what I did." He responded, not looking at the pensive in question.

"Mind if I…?" Harry asked, standing and walking over to it.

"That's why it's there waiting for you." He muttered, waving at it.

With that said, Harry placed a figure on top of the runes and let the pensive. He watched the first memory of Draco holding his son the first time, chuckling at the promise made. But when the second memory started, all Harry wanted to do was be sick. This wasn't dark magic, this was _black_ magic…the worst of the worse, and to resurrect Voldemort, giving his tainted spirit the body of her infant son?

Once it was over, Harry refused to be spit out of the pensive and forced his way back into the first, happier memory. He wanted to leave with this one fresh in his mind. To see the joy and love on his friends face as he held his only child for the first time, but once it too was over, he finally let the pensive kick him out. He stood there, summoned two empty vials, cleaned them, and took out the first memory of Draco and his son, putting it in one of the vials. He set it aside, then took up the second. He charmed it so that it would be unbreakable, pulled the memory of horror out of the pensive and placed it into the vial. Once it was done, Harry proceeded to meld the cork with the glass of the vial, making it so that it would be impenetrable to all, but him.

With this task done, he took them to Draco. "Keep this memory close Draco, it's all you truly have left of your son. I'll keep this other, place it somewhere safe, and if it is ever needed, I'll know and make sure it is used to your benefit."

He watched as Draco replaced his memory, tears at the corner of his eyes. "Thank you, Harry," he managed to choke out.

"This is the only reason I'll take this job. I'll have plenty of minions to ferry souls to the afterlife, but personally, I'll make sure the souls of children with be taken care of myself. Assured that they are safe and well, and perhaps even save one or two, if the Fates allow." Harry sighed. "I wish I had been here to stop this."

"It isn't your fault Harry, none of us are to blame but her," was all Draco could say.

The two sat there for a few more hours, eventually having lunch together before Harry left to make some preparations before his departure as the Master of Death.

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	3. 3: Harry

**Summary: Harry goes to Gringotts...**

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Once Harry left Malfoy grounds, he apparated to Diagon Alley before heading towards Gringotts. He already had plans upon plans in his head, all he had to do now was to put them into action. Striding through the Alley with his head up, Harry made it to the doors of the bank in record time and minimal fuss.

Upon entering the bank, he was approached by a goblin, "What can Gringotts do for you today young Master?" he asked.

"First, you can stop calling me that, then you can take me to my Account Manager," Harry said, exasperated and knowing the goblins and house elves would just ignore his request to call him anything, _anything_ but 'young Master'.

Ignoring the first part, the goblin inclined his head and said, "Of course young Master. Please follow me this way," and Harry was lead down the ornate hallway that he knew would take him to his Account Manager's office, where he would be ignored in his request to be called by anything but _that_ title.

Ignoring the insistent voice in the back of his mind that told him he would have to get used to it, and fast, or he was going to continue to fight a losing battle, Harry walked into the office he was shown to when told to "Enter!".

"May your gold flow and your vaults fill with blood, Ragnok," he said as he went to sit in the chair before the goblins desk.

"And may your enemies tremble before you and your lost souls find peace, young Master," was the reply. "How may I assist you today?"

"I'm here to discuss the Black Lordship as well as the Potter. I also need to set up a safe house for Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape. You now doubt already know of what has happened in the Malfoy home, so you know that it is important that Lord Malfoy be able to find some peace in his loss as well as continue his care of his godfather."

"Yes, of course. What do you have in mind, young Master?"

Suppressing the urge to sigh at the title, Harry continued, "I will be taking up my mantle of Master of Death within the next few months, with that said, I feel that it is necessary to distribute some of my lordships to those that are capable. I know that Draco would have been made Lord Black had Sirius not stipulated that the title go to me in his Will. Currently Draco is my heir, while my godson, Teddy Lupin, is my secondary heir. For the time being, I wish to make Draco the _de facto_ Lord Black and Teddy the Potter Heir, though he will also remain the Black heir as is his right."

Seeing that Ragnok was about to interrupt, Harry put up a hand and continued, "Yes, I am aware that to become the Potter Lord, the heir must be of blood relation. At this time, I only wish to _name_ Teddy my heir. Later on, down the road, I will blood adopt him to make it more official. Knowing that I have no other living heirs that can take up my other _various_ titles, I will continue to leave Andromeda Tonks nee Black as proxy for all of them, but Black. Is this acceptable to Gringotts?"

Ragnok stared at Harry for a few moments, taking in all that he was told, but asked only one question, "Why Lord Malfoy as your _de facto_ Lord Black?"

Harry let out a chuckle and said with a small smile, "Because I trust him with my life and with the Black fortune. He is not the man others portray him as, and he had every right and _reason_ to do what he did. If I had been in his position, I would have done the very same. Draco is a good man and a wonderful friend. He will do well as both Lord Malfoy and Lord Black. I also feel that it is the best I can do at the moment."

"Of course, young Master. Now, as to this safe house. What do you have in mind?"

I would like a list of all my available properties with in the UK that are currently unplottable and has enough land to have gardens, for food and potion ingredients, isolated, but not too far from civilization, ancient wards that would protect _any_ inhabitants with permission to live there, as well as a cottage that has no more that 5 bedrooms. I want it to be small enough for essentially one person, but big enough that it isn't cramped or confining."

Ragnok rustled through his stack of papers, looking at all available properties that fit his requirements. "Ah," he said at last, "you currently have 4 that fit what you're looking for. The first one," he handed Harry the file, "is a Black property in South Wales. There are 5 acres that already have greenhouses set up for potion ingredients. The house itself has 4 bedrooms, two offices, a living and dining room, as well as a family/reception room for any guests. It is unplottable and, knowing the Blacks for their paranoia, is heavily warded as well."

Harry nodded at what he was told as he looked through the specifics and the pictures that came with it. It could use some renovating, and the grounds were in desperate need of repair, as were the greenhouses. It also looked to be about 20 miles from the nearest village as well. Perhaps a bit too far he thought. "What of the others?" he asked, not immediately dismissing the Black Cottage.

"This next one is from the Peverell line. It belonged specifically to Antioch, the eldest brother. Its located in Ireland and is on the coast. There is a rather large garden already in place and the single greenhouse is in rather good condition, seeing as to how long its stood empty. It is heavily warded and has six bedrooms, one office, a den, family room, kitchen/dining room, and a basement equipped with a potions lab that needs to be updated to current standards." Ragnok continued after handing Harry the file.

Harry looked through the photos and thought about it. Potions lab that only needs to be updated, gardens already in place, only needing a little work. The same could be said of the lone greenhouse as well. He could probably ask Neville to work on the garden. He would love that. The nearest village only 5 miles away, magical at that, and being on the coast would insure that both Draco and Severus could get fresh clean air. It's said to help with healing too. Liking this one immensely, Harry set it next to the first and looked at Ragnok expectantly.

"The last two aren't nearly as well-kept as the first two, but are also under heavy wards, unplottable with plenty of surrounding land. They're much more isolated than the others and have no working gardens or greenhouses. They are smaller and in far more need of repair." Ragnok explained, handing the last two files to him.

He glanced through them and had to agree. They did fit his criteria, but were in such need of repair, that it would take far longer than he had to fix them to what he wanted. Handing them back to Ragnok with a negative shake of his head, Harry picked up the South Wales and Ireland properties back up and weighed his options.

The Black property would be great for Draco with his Black lineage, but would it be safe for Severus and what little traps and dark magic littered the cottage? Then there was the distance to the village, a muggle one at that. Draco would have no need of muggle anything, and the house elves would have to travel farther to be able to get the items they would need to care for both Draco and Severus. All in all, it wasn't conductive to healing and just by looking at the pictures, the place itself looked oppressive.

The Peverell property on the other hand looked far more welcoming and open. The coast would do both of them good and he was sure there would be plenty of ocean-based potion ingredients that both Draco and Severus, when he woke, could experiment with. Nodding to himself, he felt that this was the best place. It was isolated, but not too much, and the magical village nearby would be perfect for the house elves to do their needed shopping.

"This one in Ireland will do. I want to put it under _Fidelius_ as well, with me as the Secret Keeper. I would like the wards to be check and updated as need be. I'll hire Neville Longbottom to go over the garden and green house and have that set up as well as. I'll leave the Potions Lab in the basement for Draco to set up as he wishes. I would like the house itself to be renovated for living in and up to current standards." Harry informed Ragnok, who wrote everything down.

"Is there anything else, young Master?" the goblin asked once he was finished writing.

"Yes, I want to restrict all access to all my vaults, even the Black vaults. The Heir vault that I have set up for Teddy will remain in Andromeda's care, but the other Black vaults will remain mostly in my care, but Draco will have secondary access. I want a vault, or money put aside for Severus as well in the amount of 100,000 Galleons to do with as he wishes. I would also like to give Lord and Lady Greengrass restricted temporary access to the Black vaults for emergencies. They will require a note from either myself, Draco, or Severus with our signature written by a Blood Quill to prove authenticity and identity." Harry couldn't repress the flinch he felt at the mention of a Blood Quill, his left hand clenching in memory of the torture he endured.

"As to the other?" Ragnok asked.

"No one has access to them, they will remain unavailable to all but myself and you to continue any investments. I would also like to point out that Draco, as my _de facto_ Lord Black, will have access to ensure that the investments already in play, continue to prosper. He will not be allowed to remove investments, such as the muggle ones, but he will be able to add to them."

Ragnok nodded and wrote it down, before asking again, "Anything else?"

"I will leave detailed instructions with you a week before my departure as well as my plans for Molly and Ginevra Weasley. There will be letters to my friends explaining why I must leave and that I will remain in contact as often as I am able, with the exception of Draco. I will deliver the news to him personally."

"Of course, young Master. It will all be done as you say." Ragnok gathered the documents scattered on his desk and put them in a neat pile to be filed after he left.

"Thank you Ragnok, you have been most helpful." Harry said as he stood, "I know your time is valuable, so I will take me leave," and he walked to the door, leaving the office and the bank behind as he headed home to compose the letters he needed.

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	4. 4: Neville

**Summary: Herbolgy expert needed...or at least a gifted apprentice!**

 **A/N: So I noticed that I hadn't put in a disclaimer yet, so here it is, I own nothing, no matter how much I wish I did!**

 **I also want to say that there wont really be a set update schedule for this one, unlike Harry Potter Meets the Starks (every Sunday starting next week, the 3rd of June)**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

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Neville Longbottom stared at the letter in his hand. It had come unexpectedly and was a surprise. He was currently sitting in his office at Hogwarts, an office reserved specifically for those who were apprenticing under one of the teachers, like he was.

Being the Herbology Apprentice under Professor Sprout was a gift, though he was sure his gran would have been happier if he was doing something other than Herbology for a career, like being an Auror like his parents.

Sighing, Neville reread the letter to make sure he understood what was being asked of him.

 _Neville,_

 _I know that this may have come as a surprise to you, but I am in desperate need of your help. I have this property that I'm going to be letting some friends use for a while and it has a garden and greenhouse._

 _What I'm asking is for you to help me get the garden presentable for, well, gardening. You know vegetables, flowers maybe, I'm not entirely sure if they will want flowers, but knowing them, they'd probably be able to use them for potions and what not._

 _As for the greenhouse, I would love it if you were able to get it all set up and everything for growing potion ingredients specifically. I know the garden they would be able to grow herbs and what not for cooking and for potions, but the greenhouse, I want it to be just potion ingredients that can't really be used for anything else. And all types of ingredients. Money isn't a problem, I'll pay for the repairs and any necessary items needed to get them both up and running._

 _You'll also going to be paid. I know that being an apprentice doesn't generate a whole lot, not that you really need it, eh? Anyway, when this came up, I thought it would be a great idea to ask the best hebologist that I know, and that's you._

 _Hope you can do this for me, it's not a rush job or anything, you have a couple of months to work on it. If this is something you're willing to do for me, let me know and I'll send you a portkey to the property and I'll show you around._

 _Harry_

Neville shook his head and grinned. Of course he was going to do it. It sounded intriguing and something right up his alley. He quickly pulled out a piece of parchment and dipped his quill in the inkwell before he started to write his reply.

 _Harry,_

 _Of course I'd be happy to do this for you. It sounds interesting and during the summer there really isn't much to do, so I'm bored out of my mind. I will have to check with Pomona first to make sure its ok, but I don't think it would be a problem._

 _I find myself curious as to which property you're talking about. It can't be Potter Manor because I know for a fact that there are house elves there taking care of it, though I'm sure Hermione isn't pleased with that, eh?_

 _I won't know what all I'll need until I see the garden and greenhouse, and of course, the location. The location is key for what type of potion ingredients can be grown and if I'll need to put specialized wards on the greenhouse to grow the ones that have special needs, you know?_

 _Anyway, I look forward to seeing you soon and I'll keep an eye out for the portkey._

 _Yours,_

 _Neville_

With that done, he cast a spell to dry the ink quickly, rolled it up and sealed it before heading to the owlery. On the way there, he ran into Professor Sprout.

"Oh, Professor! I'm glad I ran into you. I'm on my way with a reply to Harry, and I wanted to check with you to see if it would be alright to do a project for him this summer."

"Oh? What project would that be?" Sprout asked, curious.

"He's asked me to get a garden and greenhouse up and running on one of his properties. I find myself curious as to what property it is, and from my understanding it needs an overhaul with new plants and what not. Harry's told me that I would have a couple of months to work on it." Neville informed her.

"I don't see why not, as long as it doesn't interfere with your other duties here, Mr. Longbottom." She said with a nod.

"Great! I'll let him know. Thanks professor!" and with that said, he hurried off to send his letter.

 **Two Days Later**

 _Hey Nev,_

 _I'm glad you'll be able to do this for me, it means a lot! I look forward to seeing you, just let me know what day your available to take a look at the place. The portkey's activation word is_ Hedwig _._

 _See you soon,_

 _Harry_

 _Har,_

 _I got permission from Pomona to assist, and with this being a project that can be spread over a couple months, she said it would be alright. I'm excited to get to work on this!_

 _I'm available tomorrow to take your portkey out there. I hope that works for you!_

 _See you soon,_

 _Neville_

 _Neville,_

 _Great! I'll see you tomorrow at, say around 11?_

 _Harry_

 **Next Day**

Neville landed on his feet in a grassy field at quarter 'til 11. It looked to be on the coast, but which coast he was unsure. The air was fresh and carried the scent of the sea with it.

"Neville!" a voice shouted from the left, "It's great to see you, mate!"

Neville turned and smiled, seeing Harry walking over to him. "Hey Harry, this is some place."

"Yeah, it's perfect for what I needed it for," Harry told him with a grin. "I'm glad you could do this for me."

"It's not a problem. So, where are we?" he asked, looking around, not seeing anything but the field and knowing that it was probably under some heavy wards.

"Ireland. It's this way, I'll have to let you through the first time. You'll be temporarily added to wards while you're working on this for me," Harry told him, leading him a short distance to where he had come from.

Once they were at a particular spot, Harry took Neville's hand, looked at him for permission before cutting his hand and placing it on the ward barrier. "There, your keyed in now," he said with a smug look.

" _Bloody hell_ Harry! This place is great," Neville said the moment he could see through the wards around the cottage. He glanced at his friend and grinned, "Where's the gardens? I'd like to see them. If they're in as good of shape as the cottage itself, then there won't be a whole lot of overhaul needed to be done.

Harry laughed at his friend's excitement and started towards the back of the cottage, "This way, and they really aren't that bad. I mean, I've started weeding the garden some, not too much, but a little bit here and there."

Once they rounded the cottage, Neville had to stop and stare. When Harry said that it wasn't that bad, he wasn't kidding. It simply looked like a lot of the plants have just become overgrown and are in need of some trimming back. The greenhouse itself, was in fairly decent shape, but he would hold judgment until he saw the inside.

Harry began showing Neville around, telling what he wanted and where, and that if Neville felt that it would be best in another spot, to go ahead and do that. Once they reached the greenhouse, Neville pulled out his wand and cast a few diagnostic spells that may be lingering around it to keep the special conditions on the greenhouse. It would also give him an idea as to what type of plants resided on the inside and if it would be best to go in cautiously or not.

Looking at the results provided, Neville nodded and turned to Harry, "I hope you haven't gone in there by yourself, Harry, you weren't that great in herbology in school,"

"Hardy har har," Harry said with an eyeroll, "I'm not that stupid Nev, I left this all for you!" he grinned, "So what all did your spells tell you?"

"Well, for the most part, anything that was dangerous didn't survive do the near complete failure of some of the wards. Mostly its just really over grown, if that. It's hard to tell until I go in." He scratched his neck, looking at the greenhouse before continuing, "Let me go in first and clear out some of the overgrown stuff, then I'll come get you and we'll walk through. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good. It's all yours, mate. I'll just be over there where I was weeding before you came if you need me," and with that, Harry left Neville to the greenhouse and went back to his weeding spot.

It took nearly two hours for Neville to clear out the greenhouse so that he could really see what was going on and what needed to be done. He had taken down some notes on what was there and what wards would be needed. With a sigh, and a grumble from his stomach, Neville headed back out to the garden. After seeing that Harry wasn't where he said he was, he turned and headed towards the cottage.

"Neville, good, you're done. I was just about to get you. I don't know about you, but I'm starved, so I went in and made some sandwiches."

"Great! I could eat, and while we do that, I'll let you know what I think about that greenhouse of yours." Neville sat at the table that Harry had transfigured, a sandwich already in hand.

"So, good new or bad news?" Harry asked, joining him.

"Good, I think anyway. Most of what survived had just really overgrown. I was able to cut it back a great deal so that I could see what needed to be done."

"Not much, I hope," Harry said with a lopsided grin.

"Not really, "Neville told him.

As the two ate, Neville began to inform Harry of what needed to be done, what could be done, and any repairs he thought were necessary. As the two talked, both Neville and Harry were writing notes on a spare bit of parchment and made a plan, schedule, and budget for fixing up the garden and greenhouse. Once it was done, Neville bid Harry farewell, and apparated back to Hogsmead and back up to the castle.

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	5. 5: Draco

**Disclaimer: I don't Own Harry Potter**

 **Summary: Secret love and goodbyes...**

 **Hope you all enjoy the new chapter!**

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Draco stared at the paper, shocked at what he read. Ginevra Weasley cheated on her boyfriend, his friend, Harry Potter, and tried to pass off the child she fell pregnant with as his. "What the bloody hell?" he asked himself.

"Read the paper huh?" a voice said, sitting in the chair next to Draco's.

"What the _bloody hell_ , Harry?" Draco asked again, "What happened?"

"Just as it says there. The bitch cheated, though I've known that was happening for a while, ever since I realized she and her mother had been dosing me with Amortentia"

"Seriously? Love potions? Why? For how long?" Draco asked, confused.

Harry sighed and looked at Draco, "Since Hogwarts, 2nd year, and the only way I figured that out was because being the Master of Death, the potion started to wear off and I asked Death how long it had been in my system. TO say I threw a fit is an understatement."

"Why didn't you do anything when you figured that out?"

"Because I knew that they would deny it. I didn't have any proof of what they were doing, so, I let them continue. I knew she was cheating with the Harpies' manager, Colin Callahan," Harry shook his head, "I also knew that something big was going to happen, so I let it happen, and it has."

"Damn. Well, with that said, how did she tell you about the baby?" Draco asked, tossing the paper on the table next to him.

Harry laughed before saying, "She came in and demanded that I marry her because I 'wasn't careful enough' and got her 'knocked up'. I then demanded that we go to St. Mongo's and asked the Healer to perform a paternity spell."

"How'd that got?" Draco asked, curious as to what happened.

"She refused to go, said that I was the only one she slept with and that it was my baby. I told her that I didn't care and that if she wanted me to marry her, she would go with me and get the test done. She went, she got angry when it turned out that I wasn't the father and that it was Callahan's," Harry smirked.

"How'd Callahan take it?"

"He was bloody furious. Charged her with attempted line theft and even more furious when he found out that she was still dating me at the time they were together," Harry informed him, "He came by the house and apologized, I simply told him that I had already known and that it wasn't his fault that she is a whore that sleeps around. I also gave him a list of names of the other men she had been sleeping with behind his back as well."

" _Bloody hell_!" Draco whistled, "I'd hate to be her right now."

"Me too, considering that she was arrested, tried, and sentenced to 10 years in Azkaban after a stent in a secure ward at St. Mongo's until the child is born. Callahan received full custody and he refuses to allow her to see the child once she's out of Azkaban."

"Good for him."

Harry nodded, "So, how's Severus?"

Draco watched him. He's watched him over the last five years as he would come over and sit with Severus. There was something that had been bugging him over the way Harry watched over Severus these past few years, and then it hit him, "How long have you been in love with my godfather?"

Harry looked at him so fast, it was a wonder that he didn't get whip lash. "What?"

Draco shook his head at Harry and leaned forward in his chair, "How long have you been in love with Severus?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Harry denied, slumping back in his chair, the shock of the question slowly wearing off.

"You keep telling yourself that, Scarhead," Draco said, standing and heading out of the living room. "Hungry?"

He shook his head no, then turned and looked at him, "You never did answer my question, how is he?"

Draco sighed at the denial his friend, "He's doing the same. There haven't been any changes the last few times the Healers looked at him. It's that damn foreign magic, its screwing everything up," and he headed towards the kitchen.

Draco had been sitting at the small table in the kitchen where Tilly had left some sandwiches for him, when he heard footsteps coming down the hall, "Draco?"

"In here Harry, I have sandwiches if you're hungry," Draco called out.

Sure enough, Harry walked in and sat down at the table, taking a sandwich and tearing a bit out of it, "Your right."

"Hmm? Right about what?" he asked.

"3rd year. I've been in love with him since 3rd year. Of course, with that damn love potion in my system, things were really confusing. I had plenty of time to muddle through the emotions and figure out what feelings were mine, and which were from the potion," Harry said, ignoring Draco. "When I did figure it out, it was like getting run over by a heard of Hippogriffs. It was like 'Wow, I'm in love with Severus Snape'."

"How?" Draco asked, setting his own sandwich down.

"What?" he asked startled.

"How did you fall in love with him?"

"Oh, well…um…there was a full moon and a werewolf involved. Dementors and a traitorous rat too." He started.

"Alright, explain."

Harry sighed and put his own half eaten sandwich down. "Well, you remember that was the year the Sirius escaped Azkaban, right? And everyone thought he was after me?" seeing Draco nod, Harry continued, "Well it was near the end of the last term, before summer hols, and Ron finally found his pet rat, Scabbers. Well, on our way back to the castle, Sirius came running up to us, grabbed hold of Ron, and dragged him through a tunnel at the base of the Womping Willow. Long story short, we found out that Sirius was innocent, Scabbers was Pettigrew, and I fell in love with my Potions Professor."

"How? Really man, you need to explain exactly _how_ you fell in love with my godfather!" Draco said exasperated with him.

"Right. Anyway, Remus forgot to take his Wolfsbane potion, Severus came to tell him, full moon. Severus was, is, the strongest, bravest man that I know. You could see it on his face, the terror. He was absolutely terrified of Remus, but he stood in front of Ron, Hermione, and I anyway."

Draco looked at Harry. The awe on his face was something he hadn't ever seen before. "Harry?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"What did you feel when he did that?"

"Awe. Wonder. Definitely fear. Nearly died twice that night. After that, I saw him in a whole different light. I had already respected him, I mean, he saved my life a lot before that night, but that night? It was like everything changed and it's one of the reasons I am so angry with Molly and Ginny for giving me that damn potion. If I wasn't constantly dosed on that, maybe things would have been different." Harry sighed, picked up his sandwich and mutter, "Guess I'll never know. I'm taking up my responsibilities as the Master of Death. It's time, and while I'm doing that, I'll be looking high and low for anything to help him, even if I have to create it myself."

Harry stood, "Either way, it doesn't matter. I'm immortal now. Severus won't want me. When he wakes up, he'll still see me as the disrespectful little brat born to his worst enemy and best friend. It's one of the reasons I'm leaving." Harry glanced over his shoulder, back at Draco, "This is good bye for now. I'll visit," and with that, Harry left.

"Well," Draco said to himself, "I wasn't expecting that." He shook his head and stood before he headed towards Severus's room.

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	6. 6: Ginny

**Disclaimer:** **As you know, the brilliant works of Harry Potter belong to none other than JK Rowling, not me.**

 **Summary: What happened to Ginny?**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

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Ginny was furious! Here she was, three months pregnant and stuck in the secured ward at St. Mongo's, something that was normally used for criminals, and she most certainly was not! She had done nothing wrong! It was all that blasted Potter's fault! Her mother had assured her that the potion would work. That she would be Lady Potter.

Why hadn't it worked?! "Ahhh!" she shouted in anger, throwing a pillow at the wall, wishing it was heavier and that the wall was Potter's head, "He is supposed to be in love with me and marry me! Callahan was never supposed to know!" she clenched her fists and slammed them into the wall beside her.

She had tried to convince Harry that the baby was his, that he didn't need to go to St. Mongo's to have it confirmed. Unfortunately, he convinced her that if she wanted to marry him, she had to do this, there was no other around not going. She wanted to marry him, to be Lady Potter, to be rich!

She flopped down onto the bed and screamed again, though nothing would be done. It had been a perfect plan, one thought up between her mother, Dumbledore, and her. Her mother was to make sure the potion was brewed perfectly and attuned to her. She was to make sure that he was fed the potion at least once every day, and Dumbledore, Dumbledore made sure she had a house elf available to her so that she could put the potion in his food and that the Marriage Contract was fool proof. In the end, she was to get pregnant, pass the child off as Potter's if it wasn't his, inforce said Marriage Contract and voilà! She would be Lady Potter, wife of the Boy-who-lived!

But none of that happened. She had continued to feed him the Amortentia every day since 2nd year, a little bit at a time, gradually upping the dosage as he got older so as not to kill him from overdoes of love potion. It had work, they were dating and in love. The sex wasn't great, which was why she would sleep with others, but it had worked.

She had finally gotten pregnant, by her team manager, Colin Callahan. She was disappointed that it hadn't been Potter to get her up the duff, but it mattered very little. She could inforce the contract, marry him, and have the stupid kid. All that mattered in the end was being Lady Potter and the money.

What actually happened was that Potter had insisted they go to Mongo's for a paternity test, to make sure that it was his child before marrying her. When it turned out, in front of a damn healer no less, to no be Potter's kid, he left her and told her that he didn't want anything to do with her and to stay out of his life.

The healer though, despite her trying, contacted Callahan and informed him that she had tried passing her unborn, _parasite,_ she thought with a sneer, as Potter's when in actuality it was his. He had immediately gone to the ministry and filed charges of attempted line theft.

She and her mother had tried their best to say that she had no idea that it was Callahan's and truly thought it was Potter's. What she hadn't expected was Potter demanding the use of Veritiserum to flesh out the truth from the lies. It hadn't gone well for her at all…

~*~Flashback~*

"As the person that Miss Weasley tried to pass her unborn child off, I would like to request, not just for myself, but for Mr. Callahan as well, the use of Veritiserum so that we may be able to weed out the truth that may be hidden within the lies." Harry Potter asked, standing before the Wizengamont.

"I agree with Lord Potter on this, Minister," a man wearing plum colored robes with a large 'W' on the left breast.

"All those in favor of the use of Veritiserum?" Minister Shacklebolt asked.

"Aye," came the reply with the majority of the Wizengamont member's wands in the air.

"All those against?" Only a small handful of wands were raised, "The ayes have it," and the Minister banged his gavel before saying, "Please administer the three drops to the accused. You may use a body bind if needed to administer it."

Ginny was furious, she had tried to object, but someone had already put a silencing spell on her moments before the suggested use of Veritiserum. She glared at the Court Healer as he approached with the potion. Once he was in front of her he simply asked, "Will you do this willingly, or must we use force?"

She continued to glare, but eventually opened her mouth. She wanted to say that the potion was bad for someone who was pregnant, but she knew that the healer would have disabused her of that notion, stating that the three drops were harmless, which is why they used only three drops at all times.

"Please state your full name and age," they healer asked after removing the spell on her.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, age 22," was the dull reply.

"The potion is in effect," the healer told the court.

"Very good," the minister said, nodding to the questioner to continue.

"Miss Weasley, before approaching Lord Potter in regard to your unborn child, did you know that the child in question was not his, but Mr. Callahan's?"

"Yes."

"Then why pass the child off as Lord Potter's?"

"Because Potter was supposed to be in love with me, he was supposed to marry me, and I was to be Lady Potter," was the shocking reply.

Without missing a beat, the questioner continued, "In love with you? Why was Lord Potter supposed to be in love with you?"

"Yes. I, with my mother's help, have been giving Potter Amortentia since 2nd year. With Dumbledore's help, he made a marriage contract that was to go in effect when I got pregnant and he would be forced to marry me. Something has gone wrong, and I don't know what it is."

The court room burst out in outrage at what they heard. A simple trial for attempted line theft had become more. With the admittance of the use of an illegal love potion, Ginny had condemned not only her, but her mother, as well as tarnishing Dumbledore's pristine reputation.

~*~ End Flashback ~*~

Getting up and collecting her pillow, Ginny laid back down on the bed, her face buried in the pillow. _Where had it all gone wrong? How did this even happen?_ she asked herself.

She tried to think back to when the potion could have stopped working because she knew that Potter knew if his smirk he gave her trial after admitting to the love potion. Growling in frustration, she rolled back on her back. She couldn't think of when the potion stopped working, he hadn't changed his behavior at all, but he still knew!

"Gah! He planned this! He _knew_ what I had been doing and was waiting for me to slip up! That _fucking bastard!_ " She shouted in absolute anger.

What Ginny didn't know was that there were recording charms all throughout her room, and that the healers kept a close eye on her, day and night, at the specific request of Harry Potter. Colin Callahan also wanted her to be watched closely for the protection of his child.

Having found out the truth of who Ginny Weasley was, he had insisted that she be permanently banned from all Quidditch, not just England, for life, to go along with her year sentence in St. Mongo's secure ward before moving on to Azkaban to join her mother for the next 10 years.

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	7. 7: Draco

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my own ideas**

 **Summar: Draco grieves...**

 **Enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

Draco heaved a sigh as he thought about the last couple months. He was currently sitting in his godfather's room as the healers cast diagnostic spells, gave him his potions, and others that were for trying to remove the foreign magic in his system.

Sitting back in his chair by the fireplace, Draco looked at the letter that Harry had left on his way out. He hadn't noticed it until he went back to the parlor 3 days after his departure, the same day he received a letter from Gringotts, which sat with Harry's.

 _Draco,_

 _I know these last few months have been difficult for you. You're a Malfoy, and Malfoy's aren't supposed to show emotions, especially the negative ones. But I also know you. You show the world one thing, but I know how much you're hurting._

 _I can see it in your eyes when you think no one is looking. It's on your face when you are thinking, in your voice when you're speaking to Severus about your day. It's the little things that I notice when I'm here._

 _You are still grieving the loss of your son and the ending of your marriage. I cannot say that I understand, but in a way, I do. I have seen the ghosts of my parents, spoken to them, and have lost my godfathers, Sirius and Remus. I know the loss of family intimately, and you can never stop grieving, but you can keep living._

 _With that said, I have decided to give you one of my properties to live in. You and Severus. It will do you both good for a change in scenery. It is on the coast in Ireland. A small cottage with a fully functioning garden and greenhouse, curtesy of Neville Longbottom._

 _The cottage itself has been updated and the basement holds a surprise that I will leave you to discover. There are 6 bedrooms, so not too small, but definitely enough space for two instead of that drafty old manor that holds so many bad memories for you both. I'm letting you use this cottage to heal and to grieve. There is a small wizarding village 5 miles west. It is isolated just enough that no one will bother you._

 _There are ancient wards around it and once belonged to the eldest Peverell Brother, Antioch. It is also unplottable and under the_ Fidelius _charm with me as the Secret Keeper. I have left a box in the living room for you to move where you wish. This box will allow you to send me messages and I you. If there is anyone you wish to tell of the secret, please do not hesitate to ask._

 _This may be good bye, my dear friend, but it will not be forever. You will see me again and I will keep searching for a way to save your godfather. I ask you to take care and to grieve._

 _Your friend,  
Harry_

 _P.S. I've also made you the_ de facto _Lord Black in my absence. You should be receiving notice from Gringotts within the next few days. This letter is a portkey to take you to the cottage. The activation word is home._

With another sigh, Draco set aside the first letter and picked up the second.

 _Greetings Lord Malfoy,_

 _My name is Ragnok, Account Manager for Master Potter. He has asked me to inform you of your duties as the_ de facto _Lord Black and any other requirements he has left for you._

 _First, is the matter of heirs. Before giving you the title Lord Black to use in his absence, you were the next heir in line, making your cousin, Nymphadora Lupin nee Tonks, son, Edward 'Teddy' Lupin, the secondary heir. Now, with your new, temporary title, you are the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, and young Teddy the primary heir._

 _Moving on to the vaults, included is a full account and inventory of all the Black vaults. You have access to all of it, except for an exception in regard to investments. Master Potter has invested in many wizarding and muggle businesses that have made a hefty profit. You are, therefore, prohibited from removing any of these investments, but are more than welcome to add to them._

 _Young Teddy's trust vault will not be un your care, but the care of your aunt, his grandmother, Andromeda Tonks nee Black. This is done at Master Potter's requests due to the young air also being the Potter family heir and because she has control, as proxy, to the other vaults under Master Potter's other lordships._

 _Master Potter has also made a request to allow the Lord and Lady Greengrass emergency access to the Black vaults. In order for them to have this access, they will require a letter written by you and signed with a blood quill granting them said access. Potion Master Severus Snape-Prince will also have access to the Black vaults, just as you do, once he awakes from his coma._

 _Then there are the seats on the Wizengamont and Hogwarts Board of Education. As the_ de fact _Lord Black, it is your right to take up these seats at any time. As it stands Madam Tonks, your aunt, is the current proxy. If, at any time, you wish to take up these seats in Master Potter's absence, you may do so by contacting both myself and Madam Tonks, and they will be transferred to you._

 _If there are any other questions you have of me, don't hesitate to ask, I am at your disposal._

 _Master Goblin Ragnok  
Account Manager for the Master of Death_

Shaking his head in resigned acceptance, Draco placed the letter, and the accompanying parchment with the Black Family account information, back on the table with the letter from Harry.

He looked at the healers present and saw that they were packing up and getting ready to leave. "Finished then?" he asked.

"Yes, Lord Malfoy. There have been no changes in his conditions and he is well enough to be transported," the healer informed him.

"Very good. Thank you." Draco stood and walked over to the bed side, "I'll inform you when I'm ready to move him."

"Of course, Lord Malfoy. I will await your letter," and with that, the three healers left.

Once the door to the bedroom closed, Draco summoned his chair from in front of the fireplace and sat down, taking Severus's hand in his. "Tilly," he called.

'POP', "Master calls for Tilly?"

"Yes, can you bring me a tray of figure sandwiches, tea, and my book on my desk in my office?"

"Right away Master Draco. Tilly bes getting them!" and with another near silent 'POP', Till left, only for a tray of sandwiches and tea, along with his book to appear moments later.

Taking a deep breath, Draco turned his thoughts from Harry and to the months past. Harry had been right. He may look well-adjusted to the loss of his son and wife, but that was so very far from the truth. In truth, he was devastated. Heartbreakingly devastated. In one fell swoop he not only lost his son, but his beloved wife to a madness that he didn't even understand.

The Greengrasses had been a neutral family and had never wanted to associate with the Dark Lord. For Astoria to lose herself and turn to the blackest of magics to bring back the broken spirit of a dead mad man was, quite frankly, shocking. Never before had she ever mentioned to want to follow the Dark Lord.

The worst part of it all was the loss of his son, his only heir. He had been so excited and couldn't wait to have his son in his arms at last. He had plans, plans to play with and to love his child in a way that he wished his parents had played with and loved him. Now, his father is in Azkaban and his mother dead. He was going to give his beloved son the world, spoiled, but humbled and kind, caring.

He squeezed Severus's hand tightly before saying, "I'm so lost, Godfather. I don't know what to do anymore. Astoria has gone mad and has killed my son hours after he was born." He felt tears running down his cheeks, "Now Harry, the only other person who could possible understand has left and I haven't a clue as to when I'll see him next. Wake up, Godfather, please, I need your help."

He took a shuddering breath and laid his head down on the bed next to their clasped hands. "I know I should take Harry's offer of that cottage. He could very well be right in that it would help us both to be somewhere new, somewhere that horrid memories don't haunt our sleep."

Unable to continue as old memories, and new, began to haunt his very thoughts, Draco clutched the hand in his and let his tears flow and his sobs wrack his shoulders as he grieved everything that he lost. He grieved for his mother and for his son. He grieved for the woman he loved, still loved, and for the three years they had spent together. He grieved the loss of his friend that left, even with a way to communicate, he was no longer there, no longer a floo call away. Harry wouldn't pop in randomly to just sit and be, or to talk about nothing and everything. He grieved for his godfather, a man so brave and selfless, a man that sacrificed nearly everything to end the war. He grieved for the father figure he saw in him, the man that he wished was his father and was in every way that mattered.

He would move them both to this cottage of Harry's. A fresh start, a place of no memories, no nightmares, a place to may, just maybe, love again, a place where his godfather would finally wake up. Draco cried like he had never cried before. Heart breaking sobs that could be heard rooms away. Sobs that left his loyal house elf, Tilly, grieving with him. Never before had a Malfoy grieved for so much so openly, but if Draco could say anything about it, he would rather be able to grieve so openly in the presence, albeit a magical coma, of his beloved godfather, the only man to care enough to save him from a fate worse than death.

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	8. 8: Severus

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

 **Summary: Awash in a sea of pain...will it ever end?**

 **Hope you enjoy the new installment!**

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All he felt was pain in the blackness that surrounded him. He didn't know where he was, what was happening, or how long he had been there. All he knew was that the pain would never go away. There were times when he had just gotten used to, something would happen, and the pain would get worse. It was like his magic was turning against him, that it refused to do as it was told. He tried, oh how he tried, to work with his magic to heal instead of hurting, but even that did nothing to make it better.

Severus floated in the blackness and pain, the only thing he could do, was think. He thought about his childhood. The first time he met Lily and told her she was a witch. The years that they had been friends and the fight that ruined it. He thought of the night he lost his only friend, the night the Dark Lord was vanquished. He thought of all the terrible things he had done during the first and second war. He thought of all he had sacrificed, all he gave up helping his enemy's son defeat the darkest Dark Lord in a century.

Speaking of the boy, he wondered if he had won. He most have, seeing as all he was doing was drifting in pain. It couldn't be Hell. He was pretty sure if it was Hell, it would be far worse than it is. It certainly wasn't heaven, if that place even existed, because he would have been with Albus, and he would see Lily and his mother. No, he wasn't dead, at least not yet, though the possibility of it being some sort of limbo was still there, but again, he was most certain that he wasn't dead.

Harry Potter. He could, in a way respect the boy, or was it man now? He may have been impulsive and reckless, but he was determined and brave, and if the things he saw when attempting to teach him occlumency was true, then what he had thought of him when he first entered the Great Hall were false. That he had suffered greatly at the hands of his repulsive relatives, much like he had at the hands of his drunk father. That Harry Potter was more like his mother than his father. He certainly admired the boy, no, man he reminded himself, for knowingly walking to his death at the hands of a madman.

Then there was his godson, Draco. He loved that boy as if he were his own. He never approved of the way Narcissa and Lucius raised him, preparing him for servitude under a lunatic. If he could have, he would have taken the boy and ran, raising him to be smarter and happier, giving him the childhood that he knew Draco had craved as a young boy.

He wondered if he was married, had children of his own. Wondered if he survived the horrors of the war unscathed. He hoped that his son of the heart had. That he was successful and had married. He knew that his father had a Marriage Contract with the Greengrasses for Draco and Astoria to marry. He hoped that it was a happy marriage, that they had a couple of kids.

Sighing, his thoughts wandered back to Potter. He found himself hoping for the same things. Married to Ginny Weasley most likely and probably hoping for a Quidditch team of their own.

He wondered who all had died, how had survived. He wondered how the trials went and if he was in Azkaban. He supposed that if he was, then being in this coma, or whatever it was, was far better than what awaited him in the waking world.

Suddenly pain flared through him and he arched his back and cried out. It felt like his magic was trying to eat him alive from the inside out. It burned and burned. It was as if there was no ending to it. _Make it stop! Make it stop!_ He cried out to his magic, begging it to help him, to protect him from this horrid pain. But it didn't stop. It would never stop. The pain was always there, only getting worse, never getting better.

 _It must be punishment for all the wrongs I have done_. He managed to think to himself some time later. The pain was still terrible, but now more manageable. _Wake up Severus! Damnit! This is no way to live, in darkness and pain, for the rest of your life. Ignore the pain and WAKE UP!_ But it was no use. The darkness continued, the pain growing and ebbing, never getting better, never going away.

Severus resigned himself to his own personal purgatory. If this was punishment for all his misdeeds, then it was nothing short of what he deserved. He would always long to see his beloved mother and his sister of the heart, Lily. He would always long to see his godson again, to see the family he had made for himself, so different from the one he grew up with. He longs to see a better, happy world, were the darkness that Voldemort spread was no longer there, but for a memory in the backs of the survivors' minds.

 _Please,_ he whispered in his mind, _please let me have the peace I've always craved, let the pain leave me so that I may finally know peace,_ and he was once again swept up in a sea of pain that would never leave…

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 **I'd apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I felt that there wasn't much to really say with Severus's current point of view.**

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	9. 9: Harry

**Disclaimer: I don'e own anything but my own ideas**

 **Summary: In need of a companion and a cure found?**

 **A/N:** **I'd like to thank all Americans who read my story who are active or prior/retired military for their service and those of you who have family that are or were military, especially to those who were KIA during the current war and prior wars. Being a Veteran myself, I know how much appreciation means, and not the sales that stores have on Memorial Day.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Harry sat at his desk, gazing at the potion he had finally found, a potion that had taken him centuries to find. It wasn't even on his Earth, but an alternate one that he was visiting, guiding the souls of the children that were killed indiscriminately, at the behest of an insane muggle, not much different from Hitler.

He was pleased that he found it, and that he was the Master of Death, Time didn't mean much to him. He could go forwards as far as he wished but could only go back as far as when he received the Elder Wand. He never allowed himself to see the future of his own world, not wanting to know, to see those he loved die, to see the _man_ he loved parish before a cure could be found.

And now that he found it, after centuries of looking, he sat there, in his office, at a loss of what to do. In the time that he left and the time that he had found it, only two years had passed. He wanted to take it immediately to Severus, give it to him so that he can finally tell the man thank you. _Thank you_ for everything he had done, everything he had sacrificed. In Harry's mind, it was Severus that was the real hero, for without him, their world would have been lost to the darkness and evil of a wizard that had lost his mind along with his very soul.

He picked up the vial and looked at it. How could something so simple as this iridescent green potion save Severus from all of the foreign magic in his system and, heal him of the damaged caused by his own magic fighting it, and replenish him, waking him only moments after taking it? It was a mystery to him, one that he still couldn't understand. Maybe he would give Severus a sample of the potion as a gift and have him analyze it, finding out how it actually worked.

He stood and called out, "Death."

"Yes Master?" a man with a dark cloak that shadowed his face from view.

"I'll be returning home for a short time, then I will return," Harry took his own cloak of the coat rack by the door that led to his garden, "I have a potion that needs to be delivered post haste. You understand, I'm sure."

"Of course, Master, though I do not rightly understand your obsession with that mortal. You have no need for anyone else, but me. I am your companion for eternity Master. What else could you need?" the entity known as Death asked, quite perplexed with his master's need to save one mortal, a mortal that he _loved_. It was honestly mind boggling to him.

"I had hoped that you had come to understand after all this time. You are a wonderful companion Death, but I was once human, and in many ways, still am, and I will always crave a more intimate relationship than I have with you." Harry sighed with a shake of his head. "I must be going. I won't be long," and with that, allowed the shadows to take him, transporting him to the room that he knew his love laid in.

"Severus," he whispered, looking at the emancipated man that lay still save for the rising of his chest. He knew this room. It was a room in the cottage that he gave to Draco to use for however long he needed. It saddened him to see such a strong and brave man so sickly.

"It's been seven years, my love, but I have finally found a way to wake, to save you from the pain I know you are suffering," Harry said as he moved towards the bed and sitting next to him. "I hope you can forgive us for how long it has been, but I promise, something like this will never happen again."

Having said that, he sat there, gently brushing the long, dull, black hair out of Severus's face, stroking his cheek with a fond smile. He took the man's limp hand in his own, feeling the fine bones through the thin, almost papery skin. "It will take some time for you to be strong enough again, but I hope by that time you will see me differently than you had in the past, but I know you will."

Harry quickly brushed a tear off his cheek, not wanting to cry the tears that he had been holding back for countless years. "I am so, so sorry that it has taken us so long to wake you, but no longer. Your pain will end." He pulled the vial out of his cloak's pocket, uncorked it and held it to the man's thin lips.

He placed the fingers of his other hand on either side of his jaw, gently forcing his mouth open while his other hand gently began to pour the potion in his mouth. Once there was a small mouthful, he would massage his throat to help him swallow. He repeated these actions until the vial was empty. He put the cork back in the vial and placed it back into his pocket.

He didn't have much time left so he bent down, kissing the smoot forehead, already feeling his temperature rise to normal. Pulling back, he gently squeezed the man's hand once more, a tear on cheek, and whispered, "I will always love you, my Severus…" and let the shadows take him back, not to his office, but to his garden.

Walking to the tree in the middle of his own personal oasis, Harry sat on the bench, next to a creek filled with a variety of fish. The creek had a small waterfall that flowed over one of the trees roots. The soft trickling of the water, the small breeze that brought calming scents from the many other trees and flowers that filled the garden, crashed into his overwhelmed mind as he fought the turbulent emotions coursing unchecked. Tears fell steadily down his face as he thought of the future he wished he could have but knew he never would.

Just as Draco had grieved days after his own departure, Harry grieved for a life that was so close, yet so very far away. Severus would never want a life of true immortality, let alone with him, the son of his school enemy. He would never be anything more than the immature brat that was stupid and reckless, that caused deaths throughout his own Hogwarts years and after.

He placed his head in his hands and continued to sob. He had woken his love at last, but he would never have the relationship he craved with him. He couldn't help but think of how happy Draco would be, knowing his father figure was finally awake, finally able to answer him when he spoke.

Oh, how Harry longed to be there, to just talk to the man, to thank him, to tell him how much he admired him, respected him, _loved_ him. He cried bitter, lonely tears, thinking of all that could have been, but would never be.

It was hours before he finally felt ok enough to return to his office. He placed his cloak on the rack and moved over to his desk. It was always covered in damned paperwork. So many people had wanted the title of Master of Death, but the one who didn't, ended up with it. Those that wanted it, wanted it to control Death, to keep those they wished alive, killing those they wanted dead, to even bring back the ones they lost. They never thought about all the paperwork or having to guide lost souls to their afterlife. The things they wanted, they would never be able to do. It didn't work that way. Being Death's master was more work than anything else, and it was unending.

As Harry worked, his thoughts on Severus and Draco moved to the back of his mind, Death came to him with the soul of a broken child in his arms. "Master, I know you have been busy, but this child has recently past, her soul currently asleep. I felt the need to bring her to you in hopes that she could be a companion of sorts to you…" his words stopped as Harry stood and moved to him, taking the child's soul into his own arms.

"How did she die?" Harry asked, placing the soul gently on his couch.

"Broken neck, Master, from a fall down the stairs. She is a young witch. You can already feel her core and she is but five years," Death replied.

"She fell? Was it an accident or was it done purposely?" were Harry's next questions.

"I believe, Master, that it was done with her death in mind. Her parents were afraid of her. They reminded me to much of your own relatives," and before Harry could say anything else, Death left to continue his duties.

Sighing, Harry found that he understood what Death was trying to do, but he didn't, not really. Having a companion was nice, but he wanted more than just companionship. He would wait until the soul woke and ask the questions he needed to know before making any decisions on the matter. Standing, he turned and went back to his desk and continued to work.

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	10. 10: Severus

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

 **Summary: Severus wakes up and learns some shocking news...**

 **Enjoy!**

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Severus didn't know how long he had been feeling pain in this black place. It had been so long that he was starting to believe that it was normal, starting to believe that that was all he would ever feel.

There had been a time that he could remember, though he wasn't too sure of how long ago it was, that it had felt as if he had been moving. If he hadn't been so wracked with pain, he would have described it as a feeling similar to that of a portkey, but that couldn't be possible, could it?

Severus sighed, wishing that this would all just end, wishing that the pain would leave him be and that he could just move on, to the 'Next Great Adventure', as Albus would always say. He was ready for it to be over already, either to wake, or to finally sleep, truly sleep, at least that's how he imagined death to be like.

And then it happened. He couldn't say that it was gradual. If he had to describe to anyone who asked, it was as sudden as being run over by a herd of hippogriffs or even the Knight Bus. The constant, growing pain that on grew worse as time, whatever that meant in this dark place, went on was, was suddenly gone.

The peace he had begged and cried for was overwhelming and complete. The pain disappeared and for the first time in such a very, very long time became nothing more than a memory. A horrible, unrelenting memory. Severus floated there as he finally felt his magic seize control and begin the healing process as well as replenish to its full capacity.

He cried tears of relief as he was able to _finally_ feel more than just pain. His magic was, in a word, _excited_ to be able to more than hurt him. He felt it running through him from his toes to his head, moving and filling him completely. It was like welcoming home an old friend.

The next thing he noticed returning were his senses. He could smell potions in the room he must have be residing in. He could identify some of them, such as the high-grade nutrition potion. Then came his sense of touch. He could feel a hand running through his hair and on his cheek. If he wasn't mistaken, it felt as if someone was caressing him. Then came taste, and one he wished he didn't get back so suddenly. He could taste a foreign potion on his tongue, and beneath that the taste of a mouth cleansing spell. How he detested those!

The last sense to return was his hearing. First, he could hear the breeze that came through the window. The sounds of birds, birds the sounded as if they belonged on the coast. Then came the words, words that shocked him awake, accompanied by a startling kiss to his head, "I will always love you, my Severus…" They were like a caress themselves, and he felt as though he recognized the voice of who spoke them, but for the life of him, he couldn't place it.

He suddenly sat up in his bed, coughing and gasping for water. He looked around and found no one near him, then his eyes landed on the doorway where a young man that looked…he shook his head, no, he was his own man and looked nothing like his father. "Draco…" he rasped.

"It's wonderful to see you awake Godfather. I have missed you terribly," Draco said as he walked over to him. Once at his bedside, Draco poured him a glass of cool water. "Here, drink."

"Thank…" cough "you…" and Severus took a small, wonderful sip of what tasted like heaven to his parched and sore throat.

"Of course," Draco said with a small smile.

Once Severus finished his glass of water, he handed the empty glass back to Draco, who refilled it and placed it on the nightstand next to him. "How," he cleared his throat, "how long?" he asked quietly.

"Seven years Godfather. It has been seven years since the Battle of Hogwarts. You have been cleared of all charges of being a Death Eater and given the Merlin First Class award for being a hero in your own right," Draco informed him, setting his mind at ease.

"And your parents?"

"Mother is dead, killed for betrayal against Voldemort. Father is in Azkaban for life, no chance of release."

"I…I am sorry to hear about your mother, Draco," Severus whispered, taking his frail hand and placing it on his godson's.

"She was given the Merlin Third Class for protecting Harry Potter. She did the right thing and was not ashamed of her action in the end. She died knowing that I was safe and would be well. That's all I could have asked for," Draco said with a small smile.

"I…am happy to hear that," Severus said gently. "And what of Potter? He survived?"

"Yes, he did. He has become a good friend of mine over these last few years. He has helped us both, just as I have reached out to help him when I could," Draco said.

"Friends? I…find that hard to believe knowing your past," Severus said with a small smirk.

Draco laughed softly, "Yes, I suppose it is, but it is true."

"What else has happened? And where exactly are we? I don't recognize the place." Severus asked, looking around once more, taking in more details.

"Ireland. Harry provided us a place to stay, to heal, that was away from…memories," Draco told him, turning his face away.

"Talk to me, Draco," Severus gently demanded.

"After you rest, Godfather, there is much to tell you and it would be best if you got some sleep that wasn't from a magical coma," Draco gently insisted.

"I've just woke up, Draco. You needn't go into details…just…a summary. Please, I've had nothing but pain for seven years and no one to talk to. I just want to listen to you. It can be about nothing…just talk, please?" Severus asked, almost begging. The last thing he wanted to do is sleep, he had had enough of that to last for quite some time, thank you very much!

Draco closed his eyes, nodded, and leaned back into his chair. "Alright Uncle Sev. If there are any questions you want to ask now, please do so, just know that I won't answer them all tonight."

"Who gave me that last potion, the one to wake me?" Severus asked, not wanting to mention that he heard what the person had said before disappearing.

"Harry did. He took a new job, one not here in Britain. He had promised to continue looking for a cure, a potion to heal you, even if he never saw you again, he wanted you to wake up. Perhaps it was for my sake as much as for his, but I am unsure." Draco said, watching him intently.

Severus just barely managed to keep his shock hidden from Draco when he heard that it was Potter that administered the potion. Finally, he asked, "And you let him without testing the potion first? It could have killed me instead of healing me."

"I was unaware that he was here until your monitoring charms alerted me to the fact that your vitals had changed for the first time in years. I got her just as he was leaving," was the reply. "Besides, I trust Harry with my life, and with yours. He would have made sure that it was something that wouldn't harm you. He had invested a great deal in making sure that, not only were you free, but safe."

Severus absorbed that for a moment before asking, "Did he marry Weasley's sister? Did you marry?" He asked.

Draco suddenly laughed. It was a bark of surprised laughter that eerily reminded him of Sirius Black. "Harry marry the Weaselette! He wouldn't touch her even if hell froze over and they were the last two living people on the planet!" Draco continued laughing and trying to catch his breath. Once he had calmed down sufficient enough to continue speaking, he noticed Severus's raised brow.

"Weasley is a whore who tried to pass off one of her many lovers, in this case, the Holyhead Harpies' manager, unborn child as Harry's. It didn't work out. She was charged with attempted line theft, and during the trial, dosing a minor, again Harry, with the help of her mother with Amortentia and an illegal marriage contract signed by her mother and Albus Dumbledore. Harry was quite pleased with himself that he had managed to convince the Wizengamont to use Veritiserum during her trial."

Severus wasn't ashamed to admit his utter shock showed on his face, complete with his mouth hanging open and eyes as wide as a saucer. "Truly? When did this happen?"

"Two years ago, right before Harry left for his new job." Draco said with a smirk. "Weasley was sentenced to a year in the secure ward at Mongo's and then another 10 years in Azkaban with her mother. When Dumbledore's portrait at Hogwarts was questioned, the old man tried to deny it, until he was told that she confessed to it under truth serum. From what I found out through the grape vines is that Dumbledore was furious that it had gotten out. Arthur Weasley divorced his wife and disowned his daughter, the other Weasley's turning their back on them for what they had tried to do. None of them blamed Harry for what happened." Draco finished.

Severus reached over and took the glass of water, taking a sip…ok, maybe it was more of a gulp, but still, he needed something to do while he tried to reign in his shock. Eventually he managed to repeat his second question, "And you? Did you and Astoria marry?"

All at once, a stone look of anger with a confused mixed of grief and lost that he didn't understand. "I will answer this question, but only the bare minimum. This is a topic that is…difficult for me to discuss. Yes, I married Astoria five years ago. We had a son, three years later. My son is now dead, and my marriage to Astoria is dissolved with the blessing of Lord and Lady Greengrass. That is all I will say on this topic until you have healed enough to hear the rest."

Draco abruptly stood and started towards the door. "I'll get you something to eat, and then we can talk for a little longer, after that, you're to rest," and he left, leaving Severus shocked once more, and very concerned for his godson, a man that he had, for many years, thought of as a son.

He waited for Draco to return, knowing that he was taking his time to compose himself. He would let him take all the time he needed. Shaking his head, he took another sip of water before returning it to the nightstand next to him. There was much that he had missed and much that he would need to be caught up on. Though, there was one thing that continued to stick in his mind and would repeat over and over now that he was alone: "I will always love you, my Severus…"

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 **I really do hope you all are enjoying this different take. Things will be picking up soon within the next couple of chapters.**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	11. 11: Emberly

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, just the original story and characters!**

 **Summary: A Little Flame found...**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

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She didn't understand why her parents hated her. Why they wanted nothing to do with her or hurt her when she did something strange. Her friends at school had loving parents, and she would be jealous of them sometimes. The last thing that she could remember was her father shouting at her, calling her freak and unnatural before falling down the stairs and then darkness. There was no pain, no fear, it was just nothing but a blackness. It wasn't very long after that that she saw a strange man walking over to her. He had the darkest hair and eyes the color of the black sky and he was as pale as snow.

He walked over to her and knelt, "Would you like to come with me, Little one? I can take you somewhere safe, somewhere away from the pain and the fear."

Emberly looked at the strange man, then nodded. Anywhere was better than here…and her parents.

"Very well, Little one." He held out a hand to her, waiting for him to take his hand. Once she did, he stood and asked, "Would you like me to carry you?" seeing her nod as she stood with him, she held up her other hand, allowing him to pick her up and carry her.

Once Emberly was in the stranger's arms, she laid her head on his shoulder and found herself falling asleep. She felt safe here, in his arms, for the first time since her 4th birthday. She snuggled closer to her protector and let sleep over take her.

When she woke up next, she kept her eyes closed as she tried to remember what happened. First. She was on something really soft and comfy and all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. As sleep started to overcome her once again, she remembered what happened…the dark man that found her in that black place she woke up in, after her father yelled at her, and maybe he pushed her instead of her falling down those stairs, but she couldn't quite remember that.

The man had told her that he would take her somewhere safe, somewhere where she wouldn't be hurt anymore. Her eyes popped open and she sat up, looking around the room she found herself on. It turned out that she had been sleeping on a couch, in what looked like an office. There was a man behind the desk, and at first, she thought it was the same man that came to her, but when he looked up, she saw his green eyes.

"Your awake. Good." The man said with a soft smile, standing up and walking over to her. Once he was in front of her, he knelt down. "How are you feeling?"

Emberly continued to look at the man, taking in his almost glowing green eyes and his long black hair, braided and running over his shoulder, perhaps so he wouldn't sit on it when he was sitting. His skin was slightly tanned, and his smile was kind and welcoming. "Wh…where am I?" she asked quietly.

"You're in my office, Sweet One," he said gently, "My…friend brought you here."

"The dark man that came to me in that black place?" She asked, curious.

The man nodded and asked again, "How are you feeling?"

"O…ok," she whispered.

"What's your name, Sweet One?"

"Emberly."

"Emberly. It's a pretty name. Do you know what it means?" he asked, moving so that he was sitting on the floor. He saw that she shook her head no, and he smiled. "It means 'a low flame or burning coal'. I can see a very bright flame inside you Emberly, and if you're patient enough, that little flame will grow and make you stronger and it will protect you."

"Really?" she asked, her curiosity growing.

"Yes, really. Before I continue with my questions, I should introduce myself. My name is Harry, Harry potter, but I expect you to call me Harry, ok?" he asked.

Emberly nodded, her brunette curls bouncing, and blue eyes shining. She wanted to know more and maybe by answering this man's, Harry's, questions, he would tell her more.

"Wonderful! Would you like some hot chocolate before we continue? I always find a nice mug of hot chocolate to be calming." Harry saw her nod slowly, so he stood and went to his door, opening it wide enough to stand in the doorway, but keeping the door mostly closed. It was only a few minutes later that he closed the door with his foot, two mugs of steaming hot chocolate in his hands.

"Here we are," he said, handing one to her. "Go one, try it."

Taking the smaller mug in her hands, she took a hesitant sip. Once the chocolate touched her tongue, her eyes lit up with utter joy. "Oh!"

"I take it you approve then?" Harry asked her, seeing her nod and take another, longer sip. After a few minutes passed, while they both enjoyed the hot chocolate, harry decided to ask, "Do you remember what happened?"

Emberly moved her mug from her mouth and lowered it to her lap as she looked down at the floor and nodded, "Yes…" she whispered, "Father pushed me, I think. I fell down the stairs…then I woke up in a black place, then the dark man came and took me away."

"Does your father push you a lot, Sweet One?" he asked and watched as she nodded. "When did he start hurting you?" he asked quietly.

"My birfday," she whispered with a sniff. She brought her hand up and angrily wiped the unwanted tears from her cheeks.

"Which birthday?"

"4th," she said, just as quiet.

"How old are you now, Emberly?"

"Almost six."

Emberly waited for the next question, but when she heard the man stand, she looked up, wondering what was wrong. When her eyes landed on the man, she saw him pacing, a frown on his face, and that confused her. "M…Mr. Harry?" she asked, loud enough for him to hear her.

The man stopped and looked at her, his frown disappearing and a sad smile taking its place, "Yes, Sweet One?"

"Are you ok? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?" she asked nervously.

"No, you did nothing wrong, your Father did." She watched as Harry moved back over to his chair and sat back down. "What about your mother? Did she ever hit you, or yell at you?"

Emberly nodded, biting her bottom lip.

"What did they do the most?"

"Yell at me, call me names…" she said softly, feeling some more tears on her cheeks. She started when a hand took her mug, and another lifted her head up by her chin. She looked at the green eyes of the man in front of her.

"It's ok to cry, Sweet One. I understand the hurt and confusion you feel," he tolde her gently.

"Yo…you do?" she asked.

Harry nodded and said, just as gently, "When I was your age, my aunt and uncle did that to me too. They would call me names and tell me that I was unwanted and that my parents were drunks and didn't want me anymore. For a long time, I believed them."

"It wasn't true? What they said about your parents?" Emberly asked.

"No, my parents died to protect and save me from a mad man that wanted to kill me. I was only 15 months old and I saw him kill my mom right in front of me." Harry told her.

Emberly's eyes went wide at that, shocked. "What names did they call you?" she whispered.

Harry sighed, closing his eyes, before opening them again and giving her a small smile, "They mostly called me 'boy', but sometimes, if they wanted to be really mean, they would call me 'Freak'. I thought that was my name until I went to school at six and the teachers kept calling my Harry. My aunt finally had to tell me that it was my name, Harry James Potter."

Emberly looked back down at her lap, twisting her hands in the hem of her shirt, "They called me 'Freak' too…" she whispered.

Suddenly arms were around her and she squeaked when he put her in his lap. After a moment, she buried her face in his shirt and cried. She didn't know how long she cried in Harry's lap, but when she was done, she felt better, and she especially liked how he would run his hand through her hair.

After a while, she asked, "Why am I here, Mr. Harry?"

She felt Harry sigh, his breath causing a loos strand of hair to tickle her face. "I…I am unsure of how to tell you, Little Flame, so I will be blunt. I am the Master of Death, and the man that came to you and brought you here, that was Death. In short, when your father pushed you and you fell down the stairs, you…"

"I died?" she asked, interrupting him.

"Yes, Little Flame, you died. Here is where souls come before going on to the afterlife, though not very many come through my office personally, and never stay as long as you have."

"Are you going to send me away?" she asked, fear in her trembling voice.

"Only if that is what you want, otherwise, you may stay with me. But, if you stay with me, there is a chance that I may return to my home, to see my friends and family and you will more than likely come with me."

"I want to stay. Please, Mr. Harry, can I stay?" Emberly looked up at him, silently pleading with her eyes.

Harry chuckled quietly, "Yes, of course, you can stay, I told you that you could if that was what you wanted."

Emberly smiled a big smile and her baby blues brighten significantly and she hugged him tightly. Harry hugged her back, placing his face in her hair. After a few moments, he started again, "There is another thing, Little Flame."

She pulled away from him enough so that she could turn her face and asked, "What is it?"

"While you are here, your soul will age, but upon our return, your soul will go back to your body that you left behind. It will be painful, and you will most likely end up in the hospital until your body heals," Harry told her, his hand still running through her curls.

"Will you still be there with me?"

"Always, Sweet One," he promised.

Emberly felt as though there was more that he hadn't told her, so she moved so that she could look up at his face before saying, "There's more isn't there?"

"Yes," he told her with a small nod. "Once you return to the World of the Living, you will not be able to return here until you pass on again, hopefully at a very old age."

Emberly sat there, thinking. He promised he would always be there for her, with her. So, if, no when, they returned there, she would be stuck, but because, she assumed, he was the Master of Death, that didn't apply to him. She leaned into his chest as she continued to think. But, because he promised to always be there, he may return here to work now and then, and always going back to her, back in the World of the Living, as he called it.

"Who would I stay with when you're not there, Mr. Harry?" she asked softly.

Harry smiled down at her, "You would stay with a very, very good friend of mine. His name is Draco, and I think he would love you very much. You see, Draco lost his son shortly after he was born, and he has been very sad since then. I think you would help him to learn to live, and to love again," he told her.

"What happened to him? The little boy?" she asked.

"That is a story for another time, but for now, I think we should find you a room and for you to get some sleep. Don't you think?" Harry said, moving her so that he could look down at her.

"But I'm not tired," she said, with a yawn.

"That may be so, Little Flame, but that yawn of yours tells me otherwise. Come one, let's get you to bed, and tomorrow, we will begin your training." And with that, Harry stood and carried her out of her office and down the hall to, what she thought, would be her new room.

Once Emberly was settled into bed, in new pajamas and a stuffy that Harry conjured for her, much to her delight, he tucked her in and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well, Little Flame, and I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night…" she paused and bit her lip, unsure of what to say next, before finally saying, in a small whisper, "…Daddy." And she closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

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	12. 12: Draco

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, that honor belongs to JK Rowling!**

 **Summary: Draco continues the explanation...**

 **A/N: I would like to say that starting on Monday, Summer term starts, and I'll be taking Business Law as one of my classes. I'll most likely be rather busy this summer, but I hope to be able to continue updating this story and that of Harry Potter Meets the Starks and the Gods with Them.**

 **Anywho, here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**

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Draco closed the door to his godfather's bedroom and leaned against it with a sigh. He rubbed his hands over his face, then through his hair. That was the last thing he had wanted to discuss, Astoria and that…that thing she had turned their, no _his_ , son into.

After a few moments, he headed towards his office. He had a letter to write, and food to get. His godfather would understand if it took him a bit longer to get the food he said he would. Once in his office, he called for Tilly.

'POP', "How can Tilly bes helping, Master Draco?" the house elf asked.

"Tilly, can you get a light soup and maybe some sandwiches to be ready for me to take to Severus's room in about 10 minutes?" Draco asked as he sat and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and ink well.

"Tilly bes getting it ready right aways, Master Draco." She said with a squeak before disaperating back to the kitchen.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I know what you did for my godfather, and I thank you for it. It has been a long time since I last spoke to him and it is, well, wonderful to have him back and to talk to him once again._

 _I know that you feel that he would reject you, and I know you have your reasons for thinking that, some I know, some I don't. What I want you to know is that if you give him a chance, he may surprise you._

 _At this time, I am only really giving him the highlights of the past seven years, and I hope you don't mind my telling him of the altercation with Ginevra. He has asked about Astoria and…well, I ended up just informing him, at this time, that Astoria and I are no longer married and that he was dead. I feel that it would be important to tell him the specifics, but at this time, I feel as though the trauma that I went through, along with the shock, I may have block out the memory of the event for all I can feel is the horror of what had happen and the blood._

 _I am also writing to tell you that I desperately miss my best friend and that I wish I could see him and speak to him in person instead of through these infernal letters. You didn't even stay long enough to say hello, or for me to tell you thank you for what you've done._

 _Harry, I may be a sentimental Hufflepuff right now, but I miss you and wish you were here with me, with us, even if it's to sit in front of the fireplace and drink a glass of firewhiskey._

 _Come visit soon, and help me tell Severus what has happened, for, I fear, I will not be able to do so. I understand that you may be busy, and that you may have conflicting feelings, but I should tell you, I heard what you said before you left. If after all this time, you are truly in love with Severus, it may behoove of you to inform him and act upon it sooner rather than later._

 _Your friend,  
Draco_

Draco read the letter over once more before folding it and sealing it with wax. Once that was done, he opened a drawer on his left, where a simple looking box sat. Draco lifted the lid before placing his letter inside and closing it and the drawer with a sigh.

Having Harry there to help with the explanations would be much easier, but he doubted Harry would come so soon after leaving. Standing and shaking his head to clear away the morbid thoughts that started to creep in, Draco left his office and headed to the kitchen.

As promised, Tilly had made a light broth and some finger sandwiches. Picking up the tray, he made his way back to his godfather's room. Once he was standing before the door, Draco took a deep breath, let it go, and whispered the spell that would open the bedroom door.

"I've got soup and sandwiches, Godfather," he said as walked over to his bed, setting the tray on the bed side table.

"Thank you, Draco. It is much appreciated." Severus said with a small smile, taking the bowl that was offered to him.

They sat silently as they ate, both deep in thought. Draco wasn't sure where to start after the stunted conversation about his married life falling apart. Once he was finished, and he saw that his godfather was done, pleased that he managed to eat as much as he had.

"I…would like to apologize for earlier. It is a subject that I am not ready to discuss, nor am I sure where to begin. All I can say on the matter is that it was…a nightmare…" he started.

"I understand, Draco. If you're not able to discuss it at this time, then know that I am here…now, and when you are ready to talk about it, I will listen," Severus assured him.

"I…Thank you, Uncle," Draco said, looking down at his lap.

"Tell me, what is Potter's job?" Severus asked.

Draco chuckled softly, "It is certainly a job, that's for sure. One that he had since the moment Voldemort kicked the bucket. He denied it up until the whole thing with Ginevra."

"A job he had since the end of the Battle? How?"

"I gave him the last piece that pretty much sealed the deal," he said.

"And what piece was that?" Severus asked with curiosity.

"The Elder Wand that I got off Dumbledore, and he got off me."

"The Elder Wand?"

"Yes, and unfortunately that's all I can say. It really isn't my secret to tell." Draco told him.

Draco watched as he nodded his head before asking another question, "Who all died?"

"So many people Uncle," Draco said with a heavy sigh, "Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, leaving their son with Aunt Andromeda and Harry. Fred Weasley nearly died, but somehow managed to survive. As for students, Lavender Brown, Colin Creevy, Nigel Wolpert, and Vincent Crabbe. Professor Babbling was also killed, along with some 50 others. There is a memorial standing at Hogwarts to honor all those that fought and died."

"What of the other professors?"

"Professor McGonagall was cursed by Amycus Carrow, and from what Harry told me, he cursed Carrow with the Cruciartus as revenge," Draco couldn't help the chuckle that escaped.

"Did he really?" Severus asked, quite shocked.

"Yes, and it worked too apparently."

"Impressive," Severus said with a nod.

"Is there anything else you would like to know?" Draco asked.

"Yes, how did I survive that blasted snakes bite?"

"That is the question, yeah?" Draco shook his head and started. "I am unsure of the details up until I was involved. Harry brought you to me from the Shack, asked me to take you somewhere where you would be safe and taken care of. He asked me as a favor to him. I couldn't not accept. You're my godfather, actually more of a father than Lucius ever was." Draco let out a sigh.

"You were in some sort of magical coma or in stasis, maybe a mix of them both. I took you straight to Malfoy manor and warded part of my Heir wing so that no one but those I wished would be able to enter. When Harry finally stopped by three days later, he told me that he found the antidote to Nagini's bite on your person and gave it to you, but there was something else that was interfering. Later, the healers that I hired from other places other than here, seeing as I didn't trust many people here anymore, said that there was some foreign magic interfering with yours to help you heal."

Draco stood and went over to the window, "For months they tried every healing spell and potion they could think of, then they would contact other healers from around the world to consult when nothing they tried worked. Many wanted to give it up as a bad job. I refused to give up, as did Harry, so some of the healers stayed on and continued." He turned back to his father figure, "It wasn't until today that something finally worked. Whatever potion he used, it healed you. You should be exhausted, yet, here you are, sitting up, eating normally, well as normally as can be expected having not eaten real food in seven years, and talking as if you just woke up from an afternoon nap."

"I see," was all Severus could say. "I think, I will try to rest now, Draco." Severus moved down on the bed, so that he was more comfortable.

"Of course, Uncle, get some rest and I will see you in the morning, most likely with a healer in tow," Draco said, moving over to the bed, pulling the blanket up and over his shoulders. "Rest well."

It wasn't until Draco was opening the door that he heard a response, "Thank you Draco."

He turned and gave his godfather a nod and a small smile before leaving and closing the door softly behind him. Draco then walked back to his study, hoping that there was a reply from Harry.

Once he was seated, he put his head in his hands. He wished Harry had stuck around to help give explanations to Severus, but it seemed that he was running away from his heart.

After a few minutes, he opened the drawer with the mail box in it. It was glowing, showing that he had received a letter. Draco quickly opened the box, took out the folded parchment, and opened it.

 _Draco,_

 _I apologize for leaving so quickly after administering the potion. I could not stay and face him, Draco. I could not stay and face rejection. I hope you understand. I want you to know that I will return home, it is inevitable. When I do not know, but I will._

 _The potion I used, I found far from here, in another time and place. The circumstances as to how I found it was through a great tragedy and I cannot speak of the horrors I saw as I guided hundreds of children to their afterlife, wherever and whatever that may be._

 _I am glad that you are telling him as much as you can, and I am sure that he will ask you as to how he survived the attack from Nagini. He needs to know and be able to process what he went through. The one thing that we were not aware of all these years was the pain that he went through after every potion that was given and every spell that was cast upon him._

 _He suffered greatly for his survival, and for that, I take the blame. I could not live, knowing that he would die. I saved him for selfish reasons, Draco, and I am ashamed of that._

 _I have lived for centuries already, and my love for Severus has yet to diminished. You are right, I am afraid, afraid of rejection. I am afraid that he will not wish to be with me, that he will see me as the child he once thought me to be. I am afraid that he will not want me for the title that I never wanted, and the immortality that comes with it._

Draco stopped ready, trying to process that bit of information. Immortality, the one thing that Voldemort had wanted, Harry had gotten. No wonder he ran, no wonder he left. He was beginning to understand some of what Harry had told him before he left to begin with. With that in mind, Draco continued to read.

 _As for your memories, it may very well be that you have blocked the trauma from your mind. I would not be surprised, you had seen something horrible and life changing. If you cannot speak of it now, then tell Severus that when I come home, I will tell him._

 _I swear to you, Draco, I will be home before five years go by for you. I have a soul here in my care that I must look after. Death thought he was assisting me in finding me a companion and brought me the soul of a nearly six-year-old child that was murdered by her father for having magic. It has reminded me to much of my own childhood, and the many times I too came close to Death._

 _Take care, Draco, for I know some of my answers are not what you were looking for._

 _Harry_

Draco folded the letter and set it aside. Harry was right, he didn't get the answers for all of his questions. He wondered about the soul he spoke of and the childhood he eluded to. _Thanks for nothing, Harry, and I'll hold you to your promise. If I don't see you in five years, I will be sure to curse you!_ As he thought on the letter he received, he could understand Harry's decisions, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Bastard," he muttered with a shake of his head.

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	13. 13: Emberly

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my own ideas!**

 **Summary: Emberly learns the family trade...so to speak...**

 **A/N: The other story lines mentioned are not apart of the story in any big way, just examples of Harry's job as the Master of Death, though if you haven't seen Deadpool yet, there are spoilers!**

 **Hope you enjoy this new installment!**

 ****Edited 6/6/18...Thanks daithi4377(AO3)!****

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Emberly stood next to her daddy, watching as he stood before a crime scene in Gotham. There were police standing around the bodies, some taking notes, others talking to witnesses. "What do we do now?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Now we wait for their souls. You'll know them when you see them, Little Flame," her daddy said.

"What happened?" she asked, looking back at the scene.

"A man stopped the Wayne's as they were leaving the theatre. He tried to rob them, but it went wrong. He killed Mr. and Mrs. Wayne, leaving their son an orphan. That's him over there, sitting on the stairs," Daddy told her, kneeling down so that he was level with her.

"That's horrible!" Emberly said, her eyes wide with shock.

"Yes, it is," he agreed. "Look there, Little Flame, you see the little light coming from their chests?"

She nodded, and moved closer, "Now what?" she asked, one of her hands moving towards the light coming from Mrs. Wayne.

"Now we guide the souls. Go on, Little Flame, you can touch it."

Doing as her daddy said, she let her hand touch the light of Mrs. Wayne, then stood quickly when the light became Mrs. Wayne. She looked up at her and smiled, "Hello, I'm Emberly and this is my daddy. Everything is going to be ok now," she said.

"Everything is alright sir. If you'll come with us, well take you to your next place," Daddy said to the man.

"What about our son? Bruce, we can't leave him," Mrs. Wayne said, looking at her son who was now talking to a police officer, at least Emberly thought it was an officer.

"It seems that he will be in good hands," Daddy said as he nodded his head towards the scene.

"Alfred!" the boy shouted.

"It'll be alright, Master Bruce," the man said, hugging the boy.

"It's all my fault, Alfred. I killed them. If I hadn't gotten so scared, then we wouldn't have had to leave," the boy, Bruce she told herself, cried into his chest.

"No," Mr. Wayne said, "It wasn't your fault, Bruce. Things just happen is all," he moved over to his son, placing a hand on his shoulder. Mrs. Wayne moved over to them, hugging her family.

"Why do they do that, if the living can't feel it?" Emberly asked Harry.

"They may know that their family may not feel it, but it's about closer, Sweet One. It's their way of saying goodbye."

"Oh, ok," Emberly looked at the family. The boy, Bruce, still crying in the man's arms. Mr. and Mrs. Wayne moved back from them, wiping at their eyes. She heard them whisper good bye, and Mrs. Wayne kissed Bruce's forehead.

"Come along, Master Wayne. Let's get you home," the man, Alfred said, taking his shoulder, and leading him to the waiting car.

"Is it time to go now?" she asked, watching as the car drove off.

"Yes, Sweet One, it's time to go," Daddy said as he moved over to the Wayne's. "It's time for us to go now. Your time here is limited. Where ever it is you go from here, you will still be able to watch over him," he told them gently.

Emberly walked over to them as well, taking Mrs. Wayne's hand, "It'll be ok, I promise," she said with a smile, and with a nod from her daddy, they left the World of the Living, guiding the souls of the Wayne's to their next destination.

~*~Time Skip~*~

Emberly looked around her. Daddy had brought her somewhere new and they were floating in space, with all the stars and the suns, and the planet that Daddy had told her was dying. Suddenly, she saw a rocket blast past them, heading out into the unknown, going somewhere where they might be able to survive.

"We're at the planet Krypton. As I told you before we left, their planet is dying, and I've brought you here so that you can see what needs to be done to guide all the lost souls. Death is here, as well as many other of his Grim Reapers," he told her.

Emberly nodded and followed him as they moved closer, "And the ship that went past us?" she asked.

"A lone survivor, he will have lost his family and his culture, knowing nothing of who he is. His name is Cal El, the last of his people."

"That's so sad," she said, as she watched the planet fall apart. "All those people lost, how did it happen?"

"Their planet's core was unstable. It's nearly the end now, then we have a lot of work ahead of us," Daddy told her. She nodded and looked back at the planet as it finally came to its end. She felt a tear roll down her cheek. It was sad to see so much life lost and there was nothing they could do, but to make sure the souls found their way to their afterlife.

Emberly turned her head to look behind her, in the direction of the ship the escaped. The poor little boy that got away had lost everything. She could only hope that he was able to find a new family and to be able to learn who he is.

Turning back to the lost Krypton, she followed her daddy, seeing the Reapers, and occasionally Death would appear. She listened to the instructions given to her and helped to usher the souls to their afterlife.

~*~Time Jump~*~

"Aliens are real? I mean monster's, creatures, like these," Emberly said as she watched the destruction happening to New York City. She looked up to the sky, seeing the portal that brought the creatures here, to a world that was similar to her own, but wasn't.

Dad chuckled and looked down at her, "Yes, Little Flame, these types of alien do exist."

"It's so weird, being on Earth, but not my Earth," she said, looking around. There were Grim Reapers here, like there had been several years ago at Krypton, just not as many and Death was somewhere else.

"Yes, every Earth I end up on is a little different, no two being the same," He told her.

"So, why are we here?" she asked, watching the Superheroes fight the aliens.

"You see the man in the red and gold suit?" he asked her, pointing at the flying suit.

"Yes, isn't that Iron Man?"

"It is. We are here for him."

"Is he going to die, then?" she asked looking at her father. She may still look like a nearly 6-year-old, but it has been many, many years since she had died.

"No, we're here to make sure he doesn't."

Emberly turned and looked at him with shock, "We're going to make sure he doesn't? How? I thought we couldn't interfere."

Dad chuckled and ruffled her hair with a smile, "Normally no, but Fate has asked us to do so, therefore we're to push him back through the portal before it's too late."

Emberly nodded, remembering when he had told her that there are times when Fate would ask the Master of Death for such assistance. She watched as the battle waged and the Reapers guided the lost souls from around the city. Then she suddenly saw a missile and a red and gold streak speed past, then it was suddenly turned up towards the sky, to the portal where the aliens were pouring in from.

"Come, Little Flame, it's time to interfere," Dad said, taking her hand and transporting them to the other side of the portal, where they saw Iron Man letting go of the missile and falling.

"The portal is closing," she said, pointing to it.

"Yes, go give him a push. Strong enough to get him through to the other side, but not too strong because gravity will grab hold of him once he is through."

She nodded and was falling with the mortal. She put her hands on his chest and pushed. She continued to follow him, watching the portal beneath them. She would make sure he made it through. His time has not yet come.

Seeing that the first push wasn't enough, she once again placed her hands on his chest and gave one last push, just as the missile exploded behind her. She watched as the portal closed around them, and then she saw blue skies and a brilliant flash of light that blinded her momentarily.

Once her eyes were clear, she saw that she was on Earth once more, and Iron Man was falling. "You did wonderfully, Little Flame. You should be proud of yourself."

She smiled brightly up at her dad, "You really think so?" she asked.

"Yes, look." She followed the direction where her father was pointing just in time to see the green giant, The Hulk she remembered from the people shouting earlier, jump and catch him before he hit the ground.

Emberly grinned, pleased that she was able to complete her first task solo. Looking back up at her dad, she asked, "Where will we be going now?"

"Looks to be a commotion on a bridge not far from here. Let us go see what is happening."

~*~Elsewhere in NYC~*~

Emberly couldn't stop laughing. Sure, they were there to collect these souls, but really, the hilarity of the situation was something that made it hard for her and her dad to collect them and leave.

According to Dad, the man in the red and black suit and the two katanas strapped to his back and liked to talk out loud as if to an audience, was a man named Wade Wilson aka Deadpool. Apparently, he was looking for another man named Francis for some slight that he had done in the past.

Emberly figured it had something to do with him wearing spandex and going around killing people in his search and becoming known by his alias. AS she watched, both of them holding their sides as they watched, when suddenly, two new players joined the scene.

"Then you know what's coming. I'm about to do to you what Sugar Ray did to the mid-nineties," Deadpool said to Francis, still stuck to the bridge by one of his katanas.

Just as Deadpool pulled his fist back to punch Francis, and having seen Wade's face under the mask, she could understand his anger, his hand hit the big Russian that was covered in metal. He turns his hand, feeling the crotch his hand hit, Emberly giggling uncontrollably when she hears him ask, "Dad?" only for him to be thrown through the air to the other side of the bridge.

"Oh...oh, I'm so glad he came over here!" Dad said, laughing next to his adopted daughter, "This is bloody amazing!"

"Okay. Let's pro-con this superhero thing. Pro: they pull down a gaggle of ass. Dry cleaning-discounts, lucrative film deals both origin stories and larger ensemble team movies. Con: They're all lame-ass teacher's pets," Deadpool said, seemingly to no one.

"You know I can hear you," Giant Russian metal guy said, confused.

"I'm not talking to you. I was talking to them," was the reply as he pointed in their direction, causing both Emberly and her dad to widen their eyes, their laughter dying mid chuckle.

Emberly looked up at Dad and asked, "Can he see us?"

"I, I don't know. I don't think so, but you never know…" Dad said, curious.

The Russian turned to Francis, saying, "Stay right here." Turning back to Deadpool, he continued, "You've been warned before, Deadpool. This is a shameful and reckless use of your powers. You will both be coming with us."

"Look, Colossus! I don't have time for the goody-two-shoes bullshit right now! And... you are?" Deadpool asked, looking at the girl.

"Negasonic Teenage Warhead," was the reply

"Negasonic Teenage... What the shit? That's the coolest name ever! So what, you're like his sidekick?"

"No, trainee," the giant now known to them as Colossus informed him.

"Let me guess. X-men left you behind on, what, shit detail?"

" What does that make you?" was her sarcastic reply.

"Pretending you're not here, Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Trade names?" he asked, punching Francis.

The girl turned to Colosus and asked, "Can we go?

"Look! I'm a teenage girl! I'd rather be anywhere than here. I'm all about long, sullen silences, followed by mean comments, followed by more silences. So, what's it gonna be, huh? Long sullen silence, or mean comment? Go on," Deadpool encouraged the girl.

"You've got me in a box here," and Emberly started to giggle again.

"This is better than anything we've ever done, Dad! Can we come back and just watch after we're done here?"

Dad chuckled with nod, "Oh, absolutely, Little Flame. This is priceless entertainment!"

" We can't allow this Deadpool. Please, come quietly" Colossus said.

" You big, chrome, cock-gobbler!"

" That's not nice."

" You're really gonna fuck this up for me? Trust me. That wheezing bag of dick tips has it coming! He's pure evil! Besides, nobody's getting hurt!" Deadpool insisted just as the body that became a pancake earlier, falls off the sign. "That guy was already up there when I got here."

"Wade, you're better than this! Join us! Use your powers for good."

Deadpool tossed a metal disk at Francis, hitting him in the face. "Heads up."

"Be a superhero!" Colossus exclaimed.

Deadpool looked at Colossus and said, exasperated, "Listen, the day I decide to become a crime-fighting shit-swizzler, who rooms with a bunch of other little whiners, at the Neverland mansion of some creepy, old, bald, Heaven's Gate-looking mother fucker, on that day... I'll send your shiny happy ass a friend request. But until then, I'm gonna do what I came here to do. Either that, or slap the bitch out of you."

"Wade..."

"Hey…" the girl said, trying to interrupt, but was cut off by Wade.

"Zip it, Sinead!" he called out, pointing his finger at her.

"Hey, douchepool!"

"And I hope you're watching!" turning around and pointing at Francis, who is no longer there, and gasps, slapping his hands on both cheeks in shock.

"It's about time he noticed," Emberly said. "I wonder if he finally finds him and we get to collect that soul when Wade is done with him."

"I'll be sure to inform Death to keep an eye on this world, on Deadpool specifically, so that we can do just that," Dad told her, moving to sit on the bridge barrier, Emberly following him.

"Quite unfortunate."

Deadpool looks back and forth between Colossus and where Francis was. "That does it!" he shouted and jumps up, hitting Colossus's head and proceeds to break his hand. "Oh, Canada! That's not good."

"Wade, please," Colossus begs.

"Cock shot!" and with his good hand, punches him in the crotch, breaking his other hand. "Oh, your poor wife!"

"You really should stop," He tells Deadpool, not amused.

Holding his broken hands in front of him, Deadpool states, "All the dinosaurs feared the T-rex," flips up into the air, breaks his foot on Colossus's head, the girl laughing. "Ah! I promise this gets worse for you, big boy!"

"This is embarrassing. Please, stay down," he asks Deadpool, who obviously ignores him.

"You ever hear of the one-legged man in the ass-kicking contest?" Deadpool says as he gets up, hopping on one leg, holding his other three broken limbs up.

"Do you have off switch?" Colossus asked.

"Yeah, it's right next to the prostate. Or is that the on switch?" was the sarcastic reply.

Dad roars, laughing so hard at the response, that Emberly looked at him as if he lost his head. "I don't understand? How is that as funny as you seem to be making it?" she asked.

"Your…your too young to un…understand, Sweet One. When y…our older, I'll ex…explain it to you!" he said through gasping breaths and renewed laughter.

"Enough!" Colossus shouts, hitting him into a car, handcuffs and drags him along. "Let us go talk to the professor."

"McAvoy or Stewart? These timelines are so confusing. Dead or alive you're coming with me!"

Once it seemed the entertainment was over for the time being, Emberly stood, holding her hand out, "So, you'll have Death keep an eye on him?"

Dad took her hand and stood, "Yes, I'll be sure to tell him, you needed worry."

"Good," she said with finality, "Now where?"

"Home, Sweet One, we will be going home. Three years have passed there, and it is time for me to stop running, and for you to meet my family," and with that, he took her hand and transported them back to his office to prepare for their trip home. Emberly was excited. Dad had told her of all these stories about his friends and family he left behind.

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 **Please read and review!**


	14. 14: Death

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

 **Summary: Death watches and tries to understand...**

 **A/N:I thought it would be fun to do a take from Death's perspective! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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Death has been watching its master since the night that he first vanquished the so called Dark Lord that had been terrorizing the British Wizarding World for the past 50 years. Its master was the only soul that he could have an influence on, and it was a tasked dictated by Fate.

It let out a sigh of exasperation when his master refused to take up his responsibilities after finally destroying Voldemort. Death had made it possible to talk to his old Headmaster and return to the World of the Living so that he could finish Fate's task for him.

It watched as its master discovered the duplicity of his mortal companion, a fickle female that wanted nothing but its master's money. It smiled as the female got what she deserved in the end and commended its master in his cunning ability to make her confess to more than what she had been charged with.

Death let out another sigh, thinking back to when it first discovered its fated master. Just a babe. He was a happy child until his parents were killed. It took their souls personally to their afterlife, assuring them that it would watch over their son for eternity, and that it would keep him as safe as it could. They seemed relieved that it would keep an eye on the boy.

It would speak to the frightened and hurt child in the cupboard. It would assist the boy's magic in healing him whenever he could, and it would laugh at the cleverness of its master whenever the chance arose for the boy to get back at his unsavory relatives. It had made a vow that he would come and collect their souls when their time came. Telling them that the boy they abused was its master and that it would make sure they suffered for what they did to him.

If Death could love, or understand the concept of love, it would say that it loved its master dearly. It was there with him from the moment he was born, and it would stay with him to the very end.

The one thing Death didn't quite understand was its master's sadness and loneliness. It felt that with it being his master's companion would be enough. It tried to understand, tried to make sense of its master's ramblings over the centuries, but it seemed that it had failed. So, when Death found the female child that suffered nearly as much as his master had pushed down the stairs by her father, it brought the soul directly to its master in hopes he would take her as a companion and forget the mortal male that he claimed to love.

Shaking its head, Death continued to watch as Master trained his child, Little Flame he called her. Watched as he took her to universes that only itself, Fate, Time, Magic, and the others were privy too. It watched as the soul matured, but did not grow, as the soul became more attached to her "daddy". It smiled when he felt the sadness that its master felt begin to diminish, but never leave, and now it stood watching its master and the child prepare to return to its master's home.

"You need to understand, Little Flame, that once we enter the World of the Living, your soul will return to the body that it left," Master explained, "It will not be the exact same body, for that has started decaying, but one very similar. Similar enough that it will have many of the injuries that you acquired when going down the stairs, save for the fatal ones."

"I understand, Dad. You've told me this several times over the years. I'm prepared," Little Flame insisted.

Death couldn't understand why the child would want to return to the world where she was murdered, couldn't understand why its master wanted to return either. Was Death and the child not enough to keep Master happy?

"It will hurt, and you will be a matured soul in the body of a 5-year-old child," Master informed her as he made sure his paper work was organized and in its proper places, leaving a scrap of parchment out to write a letter, Death guessed.

"I know, Dad. I'll be fine," she assured Master.

"What am I to do while you are gone, Master?" Death asked, making its presence known.

Master turned and looked at it with a fond smile, or what he thought was a fond smile, it saw Master give the smile to the child often enough. "You will continue as if I was still here, my friend. I will not be abandoning my post. I have long accepted it. I will travel back and forth, you have my word."

"I still do not understand your need to return, Master," it said.

"I know, but I must. I have promises I need to keep, and Emberly needs human contact and a chance to learn who she could have been," Master told him gently.

"I'll be ok Death. I will always be grateful to you for bring me here, for allowing me to stay," Little Flame said, taking its hand in hers.

Death simply shook his head, still not understanding the need for mortal connections when they were immortal and had it. It faded into the shadows, leaving its companions to continue to pack for their trip. It will continue to watch them, be there for them when they need its presence. Maybe one day it would understand what Master truly needed and it hoped that it would always be needed and not replaced by that mortal man Master seemed to be so enamored with.

Death would surely miss their companionship, especially Little Flame's. She had grown on it as much as she had on Master. To not be able to help her, or see her, or even truly speak to her while she was in the World of the Living. Perhaps this visit, or stay would help Master, take that sadness it sees in his eyes every time it was in Master's presence. Maybe it would relieve that lingering loneliness too, for Death could only hope as he went to see to its reapers and if there was anything that needed its attention.

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 **Please read and review, and let me know if there is anything any of my faithful readers would like to see in upcoming chapters!**


	15. 15: Gred and Forge

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

 **Summary: George struggles, and a plan is formed...**

 **A/N: It's time to introduce others and the struggles they are still going through ten years after the Battle of Hogwarts. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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George looked over at his twin from the other side of their lucrative store, _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes_. Every day he was thankful to have his twin still with him. He doubted that he would have lived these last ten years without him. It would have been a half-life, and there was the very real chance that he would have ended his own life to be with the other half of his soul.

What most people didn't realize is that they weren't just identical twins, but magical identical twins. Not even their parents knew. They were two parts of the very same soul, like soul mates, but not. He let out a sigh and moved over to Fred, not caring that he was speaking with some customers. He stepped in front of him and hugged him close, burring his face in his twin's neck.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment, it seems my brother needs me at this time," Fred said, wrapping his own arms around George.

"Of course, I understand," the customer said with a soft smile, leaving the two brothers to themselves.

Fred moved so that he could walk George to their backroom for some privacy. "What is it Georgie?" Fred asked gently, pulling him into the chair they would sometimes share, especially for moments such as this.

George found himself curling up on Fred's lap and let out a shuttering breath. "I'm glad you're here Freddie. I would have survived without you…" he whispered.

"I'm here and I don't plan on leaving you anytime soon, brother," Fred whispered back, putting his face in his brother's hair, kissing his head in the process.

"Sometimes…sometimes I still dream that your gone…that your dead and I'm…I'm alone," was George's broken response.

"Oh Georgie," was all Fred could say, holding his brother closer, tighter. He too had nightmares, nightmares that he had died, and that Harry hadn't been there to make sure he stayed with George. He didn't understand what exactly happened, or how Harry did it, he was just grateful that whatever it was, worked.

They sat in silence, soaking up each other's presence, before Fred brought up a different topic. "So, what do you want to do about the Draco thing?" he asked.

Just as expected, George gave a soft laugh, "The Draco thing is what we're calling it now?"

"Yes, yes, it is, brother mine. And it's a relevant topic. We are what we are, and it is inevitable that we share, and since we both find him irresistible, have for years, perhaps, now that he has been free, for the lack of a better word, for the last five years, we now have a chance, yes?" Fred said with a smile.

George moved about on his brother's lap so that he could better look at his face as they discussed this. He thought about what Fred said before nodded, "Yes, I suppose we do, but how do we even now if he would be receptive to our advances?"

"We won't know unless we try. We've been in love with the prat since 6th year, I say, if he doesn't come to us in the next month, we, invite him over for dinner or drinks, and see for ourselves, if he is amiable to our flirtations, and hopefully a relationship comes out of it," Fred told him with a smile.

George sat there, thoughtfully, taking in what Fred suggested. It could work, and it wouldn't hurt. And to have someone else in their relationship could help him get over the near loss of his brother and be there to care for him when Fred wasn't able to.

The thought of having someone else to love him and care for him was very appealing to him. Fred was stronger and more dominate then he could ever be. So was Draco for that matter and having the two of them to help him through his nightmares sounded wonderful.

Of course, if Draco ever need help of his own, well he would never be able to say no to the blonde. He would lend a shoulder if it was needed and the only ear he had to listen. He only hoped that Draco would agree to at least try at a relationship.

Fred knew his brother well, who wouldn't when said brother was the other half of his very soul. He also knew that George needed someone else to rely on that wasn't just him. Someone to help him when these moods, as rare as they are becoming after ten years, come up from nowhere.

Having someone else to help with the nightmare would be a boon, even better if it was someone that could love them for who they were and would let him and George love just as much in return.

It would be a challenge to get Draco to see them as them and not the infamous pranksters they had been in school, but Fred felt that in the end it would be worth it. Worth the struggle of getting him to open up to them about what he has gone through.

Fred was aware that he had loved his mother dearly, and his father even less, if at all. He knew that Draco even loved Astoria, his beloved wife the papers had once said of her. Whatever had happened that caused Draco to dissolve their marriage and disown his heir, must have been devastating to the man. And then there was Severus Snape. From what Fred could tell, the man had been more than a godfather and that perhaps Draco had loved him as a father.

It would make sense if that were the case. It would also make sense as to why, for the last five years, Draco had been more of a recluse than the socialite that he had once been.

And then there was Harry, and before he could think on that subject anymore, George interrupted, "Do you think it would work? I mean, if Harry was here, we could just ask him. You know that they became friends not long after the Battle."

"Yes, I do think it would work. As for Harry, there is much I need to talk to him about, and I wish he was here so that I could."

"About how you survived?" George asked softly, looking down at his hands, which Fred immediately took in his own.

"Yes, among other things, like where the hell he has been for the last five years. The bastard said goodbye in a damned letter and left right after Ginevra's trial." Fred told him.

George nodded and moved about once more before settling and placing his head on Fred's shoulder. "I wish he was here so that we could just talk, like we did back before the Battle, and after."

"Me too, brother mine, me too."

After several more minutes of silence, George stood and stretched before saying, "We should go back out there, Lee can't hold the fort down forever."

Fred laughed and nodded, "Alright," and he headed towards the door that would lead them back into the main room full of customers waiting to buy their products. "Are you going to be alright, Georgie?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, I'll be ok. It was just for a moment. Thinking about Draco certainly helped," George replied.

With a nod towards his brother, Fred opened the door and they both headed back out among the throngs of people waiting to pay.

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 **Please Read and review. Any ideas for future chapters, please feel free to let me know!**


	16. 16: Ginny

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

 **Summary: Ginny speaks with Lucius and a beautiful friendship blooms...**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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Ginny laid on the thin mattress that she had been provided when she was first moved to Azkaban four years before. In a sense, she was relieved to no longer being in St. Mongo's, and that the damned parasite that was supposed to give her the title of Lady Potter was finally born. There had be many a time that she tried to abort it, but all attempts were unsuccessful. She hoped Cunningham was happy with the little brat.

She let out a sigh. There were some days that she was back there in the secure ward. She had real food to eat, a real bed to sleep in at night, and the ability to shower whenever she needed. Here, in Azkaban, she had slop for food, a thin, dirty mattress to sleep in, and a cold shower twice a week for 10 minutes to bathe.

Ginny sat up and walked over to her cell door and looked out the small barred window. Things may have improved here at Azkaban with the destruction of the Dementors during the final battle, but it was still hell on earth. The next time she saw Potter, she would make sure he paid for what he had done to her, even if that meant getting an illegal wand from Knockturn Alley.

"Step away from the door, No Name," one of the two guards shouted as they came towards her cell. It was time for dinner, which had been another change. Breakfast and dinner was served communally instead of in their cells. This provided a chance for the prisoners to interact, and a chance for her to visit with her poor mother.

Molly had lost a lot of weight in her five years of being in Azkaban. She was distraught when she learned of Arthur dissolving their marriage and disowning her only daughter. She didn't even have the Prewett name to fall back on with Charlie removing them both from that family as well.

Recently, her mother had gotten sick, and despite that improved healthcare, she wasn't anywhere near getting better. She was getting weaker and Ginny knew that her mother would never see the day when they would both be released from this hell: Molly No Name would die in Azkaban.

Stepping back, Ginny turned her back to the guards as per regulation. She heard the door open then felt the rough hand of one of the guards take her shoulder and spin her around, leading her out in to the hallway and towards the meal hall. Once they arrived, Ginny looked around for her mother. Upon not seeing her, she turned to the guards and asked, "Where's my mother? Why hasn't she been brought in?"

"She's in the infirmary. She's taken a turn for the worst. I suspect she won't make it another month, two at most."

Ginny sucked in a breath, dread filling her heart, "Will I be able to see her after dinner?" She asked, hope in her eyes. Her mother was all she had left in the world, she would be devastated if she were to die. Ginny had made a vow that she would survive long enough to enact her revenge against Potter. She was determined that she would survive Azkaban, no matter the cost.

"We will see, though the answer is most likely no, until at least tomorrow afternoon," she was told.

She nodded and went to a table that had only one other person and sat. Instantly a tray of _slop_ appeared in front of her. She would not cry, she was stronger than that, damn it! Ginny sullenly picked up her spoon and went about eating.

"Hello Miss Weasley," a silky voice said.

Ginny knew that voice. It was Lucius Malfoy. Glaring up at the man she said with a snarl, "It's not Weasley. I've been disowned."

"I see, then my apologies," he replied and sat in front of her, his own tray appearing. "What brought you and your dear mother to Azkaban?"

"Potter, the bastard. He set me up, he did," Ginny said, angrily stabbing at her food.

"I see," he said as he began to eat himself, "And where is your mother?"

"Infirmary, she's getting worse and I know that she'll die in here."

"Like so many others, yes?" Ginny ignored the rely, knowing it was a rhetorical question.

Deciding to change the topic, Ginny looked up at Malfoy and asked, "Did you hear about Draco and what happened five years ago?"

"Draco? I haven't seen or heard from him in ten years, and, as I'm sure you know, we don't receive the _Prophet_ either," he drawled. "Please Ginevra, what has happened to my _dear_ son?" he asked with a sneer.

"He dissolved his marriage, which, from my understanding, you arranged with the Greengrasses, and disowned his only son and heir." She grinned when she saw the anger break through his carefully crafted mask. "Yes, I thought you would be angry when you heard that. It was quite the scandal. All over the paper for weeks afterwards. Story says that even the Greengrasses themselves disowned both Astoria and Scorpius. It seems they are both like me in that way.

"Draco broke the marriage contract?" she asked stiffly, trying to contain his anger.

"Yes, though no one knows exactly _why_ he did it, just that he did," she informed him. "Though, if I were to hazard a guess, having seen Astoria before my incarceration, the girl has gone quite mad indeed."

"Just as you have, Ginevra?" Lucius sneered.

"Oh no, I think she's gone madder than I have. From the one time I saw them both, the boy was very quiet himself, looking around with eyes for too intelligent for a newborn. Speaking of his eyes, I managed to get a good look at them. Would you like to know what I saw, Malfoy?" she asked, taunting the once proud man.

"What is so important about the boy's eyes?" he demanded.

"They were bleeding red," she whispered with eyes wide and sparkling with madness.

Lucius started back at her, shock clearly seen in his eyes. "Red? You are certain?"

Ginny sat back and went about eating again, saying, "Very much so. Whatever happened, it has everything to do with the boy. He'd be 5 now. I wonder what they are up too now. Perhaps once I'm free of this place, I'll go call on them. One No Name visiting another."

Neither spoke again for the duration of their evening meal, both, or at least Lucius Malfoy, deep in thought. Ginny was pleased that in a way, she had made herself an ally in this horror filled place.

As they were both lead back out, towards their cells, Lucius glanced at her and said, "You and I have much to discuss, Ginevra."

She grinned, her eyes still bright and shining, nodded, "Yes we do, Lucius. I feel that this is just the beginning of a beautiful friendship, don't you agree?"

Lucius smirked and drawled, "Indeed I do." And with that, they were taken in separate directions and back to their dark, damp cells for the rest of the evening.

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 **Please read and review. I'd love to know what you think thus far and if there is anything that you wish to happen!**


	17. 17: Harry

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

 **Summary: Harry returns home...**

 **Please enjoy!**

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Harry looked around his office, making sure everything was in place. This was it. He was returning, he wasn't sure for how long, but he was. He thought about Ron and Hermione, wondered if they were married and had kids yet. He thought of Draco and the letter that he had sent to him just after waking Severus. He hoped he wasn't angry with him and that he could understand his reason, even just a little bit. Then he thought about Severus…

Harry sighed and shook his head and turned to Emberly what was waiting for him. "You need to understand, Little Flame, that once we enter the World of the Living, your soul will return to the body that it left," he explained, "It will not be the exact same body, for that has started decaying, but one very similar. Similar enough that it will have many of the injuries that you acquired when falling down the stairs, save for the fatal ones."

"I understand, Dad. You've told me this several times over the years. I'm prepared," she insisted.

"It will hurt, and you will be a matured soul in the body of a 5-year-old child," he continued as he made sure his paper work was organized and in its proper places, leaving a scrap of parchment out to write a letter.

"I know, Dad. I'll be fine," she assured her father.

"What am I to do while you are gone, Master?" a voice asked from the dark corner.

Harry turned and gave Death a fond smile, "You will continue as if I was still here, my friend. I will not be abandoning my post. I have long accepted it. I will travel back and forth, you have my word," he assured his longest companion.

"I still do not understand your need to return, Master."

"I know, but I must. I have promises I need to keep, and Emberly needs human contact and a chance to learn who she could have been."

"I'll be ok Death. I will always be grateful to you for bring me here, for allowing me to stay," Emberly told Death with a smile.

Before either of them could say another word, Death left. Harry sighed sadly and turned back to Emberly, "Are you ready, Sweet One?" Seeing her nod, she absently shook his head, he could worry about Death once he arrived at Draco's. He knew that Death didn't understand much about human concepts, and there had been many times he tried to explain to the entity, it just never stuck.

"Alright, take my hand and don't let go, on second thought, it would perhaps be easier if I carried you," Harry said with a smile, picking the soul and holding her in his arms.

Emberly giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, putting her head on his shoulders, "Ok, Daddy."

Harry chuckled and felt his heart warm when his little soul called him Daddy. It had been many years since the last time she had called him that. "Off we go, and don't fight what happens, it'll be over before you know it though," he assured her, patting her back gently.

Feeling her nod, Harry let the shadows wrap around them and before they knew it, they were in a sitting room that he recognized. He heard Emberly whimper in pain, her tiny hands clutching at his robes. He knew that he should have gone straight to St. Mongo's, but he felt that it would be better for Draco if he did instead, that and Harry had no interest in seeing his _adoring fans._

"Tilly!" he called, as he gently laid the injured girl on the couch near the fireplace. Hearing the 'pop' behind him and said before the house elf could say anything, "Can you fetch Draco for me?"

"Right away Master Harry, sir!" came the happy squeak and a 'pop'

Brushing Emberly's hair from her pain filled face, he bent down and kissed her forehead. "It'll be alright, Little Flame. Soon the pain will be gone, and you will be well again."

"Harry?" a voice asked.

Harry turned and gave Draco a small smile, "I told you I would return, Draco."

"Yes, but I wasn't expecting a child to accompany you when you did," was the reply as the blonde moved over toward them. "Tilly tells me that the child is hurt, so I sent her to retrieve Uncle Sev, if that is alright with you?"

Harry let out a sigh. He knew that Draco would do that, even if he had hoped that he wouldn't. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"What happened?" Draco asked, taking Emberly's hand in his.

"She was murdered," Harry told him in a near whisper. "Her soul has been with me since her death. I've grown attached to her, became a father, a better one than her own ever was, to her. Her name is Emberly."

He saw Draco look at him from the corner of his eye, but before he could say anything, another voice said, "I've brought the potions you requested, Draco."

Harry froze at the sound of that voice, his hand combing through her hair. "Over here, Uncle," Draco said, standing and moving out of the way. "It seems Harry here has decided to bring home a stray."

He could hear Draco's smirk and mentally cursed the man. He shifted to the side, letting Severus to kneel next to him. "She fell down the stairs. I would have taken her to Mongo's, but I didn't want to be swarmed by my _adoring fans_ ," He told him with a sneer at the last words. "I was hoping you could give her some potions, and Draco could take her in my stead?" He asked, glancing back at Draco, who gave him a small nod. "Thank you, Draco."

"Let me see, Potter. I ask that you stop touching her so that I may get an accurate diagnostic without your magic interfering." Severus said.

Harry felt a shiver run down his back, removing his hand from his little girl's hair. Having the man so close to him, the smell of potions and earth filling his nose, made it difficult for him to keep his hands, and his mouth, off the man.

He watched as the spell was cast and the parchment erupt from the tip of his wand. He returned his hand to his Little Flame's hair to continue to sooth her. "Draco, I need a grade 2 pain relief potion and a blood replenisher as well, if you could," Severus asked, hand held out waiting for the vials. Once he felt them in his hand, he turned to Harry and said, "If you could assist me in giving her these, Potter."

"Of course, sir," Harry said, quickly moving up so that he was sitting next to her head, lifting her chin and opened her mouth gently. He watched as his love place the vial to her lips before slowly pouring it in her mouth. He then messaged her throat, helping her to swallow. He continued the process until both vials were empty.

Harry knew the moment that the pain reliever took effect. He watched as her breathing evened out, her body relaxed, and her eyes fluttered open. "D…Daddy?" she said in a small voice, still laced with residual pain.

"Shh, I'm here Sweet One," Harry said gently, brushing the back of his fingers against her cheek, "Sleep, now, and when you next wake, the pain will be gone completely. Draco will take you to the hospital."

"'K, Daddy," she whispered as sleep took hold of her.

"Thank you, Severus," Harry said, finally looking up at the man still kneeling on the floor next to the couch. His breath caught in his throat, and his heart pounded in his chest.

Severus was breath taking. He had healed well and gain the wait he had lost. He could see that his hair wasn't greasy and was still as long as it was three years before. _He must have decided to keep it long,_ Harry thought to himself. Even his skin was a healthy hue, tanned from being outside in the gardens no doubt.

"Of course, Potter…"

"Harry…my name is Harry, sir," Harry interrupted, and to his mortification, a blush bloomed on his cheeks. He sent a glare at Draco when he started chuckling, only it had the opposite effect, causing him to bend over barely concealing his laughter

"Harry then. I am glad that I was here to help," Severus stood and brushed imagined dirt off his robes. He then cast a spell, one to make sure Emberly stayed asleep, and another to make sure she remained immobile during the trip to St. Mongo's.

Harry nodded, took a spare quill from his pocket and cast, " _Portus,"_ before handing it off to Draco. "That should take you straight into the receiving room of Mongo's," he said as explanation.

Before Draco could leave, Harry quickly continued, "I hope you don't mind if I go and visit Andromeda and Teddy. It's been some time since I last saw them, and I know that Teddy should be getting ready to go to Hogwarts come September."

Draco let out sigh, but shook his head, "No, of course not. Don't be a stranger here either. I have a spare room made up for you, so you better be back soon rather than later."

Harry nodded, kissed Emberly's head and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, for doing this Draco. I appreciate it," he moved over to the fire place, taking a small handful of powder. As he past his friend, he heard him mutter, "Coward…"

He stopped for a moment and glanced at him, nodded. Yes, he was a coward, and he wasn't afraid to admit, at least not to himself or Draco. He tossed the powder, stepped into the hearth, and called out, "Tonk's Abode!" and disappeared in a flash of emerald green, neither of the other men seeing a letter appear on the small table the was between them.

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	18. 18: Andromeda

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**

 **Summary: Harry makes a much needed visit...then is called away again...**

 **For those who have read up to this point, I would like to encourage you to go back and read Chapter 13: Emberly. I have updated it and added a bit to the end.**

 **I hope you all enjoy that update, and this new chapter!**

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"Teddy! Come to the table, lunch is ready!" a witch of about 50 called out to her 11-year-old grandson.

Suddenly, a little boy with flashing colored hair runs into the dining room. "Sorry Grandma! I was making sure everything was packed in my trunk," he said in explanation.

Laughing, Andy nodded with a fond smile, "It's alright, Little Wolf. Is everything packed neatly?" she asked, setting his plate in front of him.

As Teddy started eating, and she sat down to her own plate, she was startled when he asked, hesitantly, "Do you think Uncle Harry will be here and take me to the train?"

Andy set her fork down gently and took her grandson's free hand in her, "I am unsure, Teddy." She watched as he went back to eating, his hair going a dull blue, showing his sadness.

Andy sighed, going back to her lunch. She, in a way, understood why Harry had left, but the letters to his godson had been few and far between. She prayed to Merlin that Harry would be here to see him off to Hogwarts.

Before she could continue to ponder on her thoughts, she heard a chime as the floo flared and a voice calling out, "Andy? Are you here?"

Teddy's head shot up, his hair instant changing to black, his eyes going emerald green, and before Andy could stop the boy, he stood, knocking his chair over and shouting, "Uncle Harry!"

She sighed once more, stood, picked up Teddy's chair, and heard "Omph!" and a crash. She winced and continued her way to the living room. Once there, she couldn't help laughing at what she saw. There was Harry, long black hair trapped under him, making harder for him to sit up, sprawled on the floor with her grandson attached to him.

"Teddy, let the man up," Andy said with a soft chuckle.

The two struggled for a few more moments, with several "ouch"s in the mix due to Harry's hair being trapped beneath him, and Teddy's knees and elbows hitting painful spots.

Once they were both standing, Harry scooped up the eleven-year-old up into his arms and hugged him tight. "I have missed you, Little Wolf, so very much," he whispered.

Andy gave her boys a fond smile and asked, "Are you hungry, Harry?"

"Starved!" was the happy response, as he put Teddy back on his feet.

They walked back to the kitchen, Andy placed a third plate and glass on the table next to Teddy's place. Once they were sitting, a full plate in front of Harry, Teddy asked another question, just as hesitant as the one before, "How…how long will you are staying, Uncle Harry?"

She watched as Harry looked at his godson with a sad, but fond look. Teddy had his eyes wide and filled with hope, and she hoped that Harry's response wouldn't crush the sweet boy.

"I am unsure, but I promise to stay until I've seen you off to Hogwarts. Nothing could keep me from not seeing you to the Express that first time," he smiled brightly and reassuring, waiting for Teddy to reply.

"Promise, promise?" he asked softly.

Harry stood and moved over to where Teddy was sitting, kneeling before him. "Promise, Promise," he said, giving the boy a tight hug.

"Good."

Once the three went back to eating, Andy asked Harry how he has been, what he has done the last five years. Harry answered all her questions, and politely declining to answer those that he couldn't. When Teddy asked him to tell him some stories of his travels, he did so quite excitedly.

With lunch over, Teddy dragged his godfather off to his room, showing him all his school things and asking about a dozen questions about his time at Hogwarts. She laughed as Harry indulged him, answering his many questions in stride.

She sat on the couch with a book and a cup of tea, but try as she might, she couldn't keep her mind on the story she was attempting to read, her thoughts mostly on the boy, no, the man, that saved Wizarding Britain at the cost of many.

He was older, that much she could see in his eyes. They were older and wiser, yet still young. It was a conundrum, she though. He looked well, and happy, or as happy as he could be. She could see his sadness and loneliness that sat in his shoulders, though he did a marvelous job in hiding it from Ted, it was still there.

She sipped at her tea and continued to think. After the whole Molly and Ginevra incident, she wasn't at all surprised that he seemingly vanished. The hurt and the anger he must have felt at their betrayal, and that of Albus Dumbledore as well. She couldn't, and had no intention to, imagine what he must have felt.

After losing his own godfather, then Remus, Harry had practically lost every connection he had to his parents, and the family that he managed to acquire from them both. She shook her head, no, she couldn't blame him for leaving the way he did.

"Andy?" a voice said from beside her.

"Harry, please, sit and join me," she told him with a smile. When he was seated in the chair next to her, she asked, "How have you been, love?"

He smiled, "I'm well, better than I have been in a while, but not great, not yet."

She nodded and asked, "What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

He placed his chin on his hand, his elbow resting on his knee as he thought about his question, or questions, which ever it may be. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and asked, "How has he been since I've been gone?"

"It was hard for him. He didn't understand why you left like you did," she shook her head and set her tea down on the small table next to her. "I tried my best to explain it to him, but I don't think he really understood. All he knew was that his only father figure left him behind."

"I am sorry, Andromeda. I…I had to go, but I know that I might not have done so in the best of ways. Even Draco was angry with me for leaving, despite knowing all my reason as to why I had too."

She leaned forward and patted his knee that was closest to her, "It's alright, I understand. You have gone through so much in your life Harry, that I am surprised you waited as long as you did before leaving. I'm happy your home though, Teddy can be a handful and I'm getting old."

Harry looked up at her, and she gave a soft smile. "Andy, I…I don't know how long I'll be staying past seeing him off to Hogwarts. There's…there's so much here that it is…difficult," he whispered at the end.

"Stay as long as your able, love. All I ask is that while you are hear, spend time with him?"

"Of course, Andy. That I can do, promise!"

"Good! I'm an old woman and he is a very active child," she laughed softly.

Before either of them could say anything else, there was a 'pop' and a house elf was standing in front of Harry, wringing her hands. "Tilly?" Harry asked, concern in his voice.

"Master wishes for Master to return. He says that there is something that he needs to speak to Master about and that it is urgent," the little elf said.

Harry knelt in front of the elf, taking her hands in his, "Is it Emberly?" he asked.

Tilly nodded, her big ears flapping before she said, "It is about her, but from what I know little miss is well enough. I do not know what Master wishes to speak about. Please be coming with Tilly, Master," she asked.

Harry glanced at her, his question in his eyes. "Go, I will tell Teddy that it was urgent, but you're to return tomorrow and take the boy to the park."

"Of course, Andy, thank you!" he said, turning back to the elf, "You can take me Tilly." With a nod from the elf, both she and Harry were gone with a 'pop'.

"Grandma?" a voice asked, coming down the stairs. Once Teddy appeared, he noticed his godfather's absence, "Where did Uncle Harry go? He said he would stay for dinner."

"He had to go. A house elf came to tell him that he was urgent, but he did promise to be here for breakfast if he isn't able to be her for dinner," she told him.

"Oh, ok," he said, despondent and scuffing his shoe against the rug. "I'm…I'm gunna go outside for a little bit," he whispered, before darting into the kitchen and out the back door.

Andromeda winced as the door slammed behind him. She could understand his reaction. Harry just getting back, then leaving after a few hours visit. If she were her grandson, she would be just as upset.

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 **Please read and review!**

Any ideas you may have, please feel free to let me know!


	19. 19: Severus

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

 **Summary: Severus read the letter and revelations are made...**

 **Please enjoy!**

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The moment that Severus walked into the living room with his potions back, he knew that life for him, and for Draco, would be forever changed. Whether it was for good or bad, was yet to be scene, either way, Harry _bloody_ Potter would be the cause of it.

Taking a deep breath, those words from three years prior echoing in his mind, _"I will always love you, My Severus…"_ Giving himself a mental shake, he announced himself, "I've brought the potions you requested, Draco." Severus steadfastly ignored the way Potter stiffened at the sound of his voice, not ready to go into the consequences such thoughts could bring about as to _why_ exactly the boy would react in such a way.

"Over here, Uncle," Draco said, standing and moving out of his way. "It seems Harry here has decided to bring home a stray."

 _Stray? Is that what a child is now?_ Ignoring the exchange between Potter and his godson, he speaks to Potter for the first time since the Shrieking Shake ten years before, "Let me see, Potter. I ask that you stop touching her so that I may get an accurate diagnostic without your magic interfering."

Casting a diagnostic charm, his eyes widen at what the parchment that came out of his wand said – internal bleeding, broken leg, two cracked ribs, severe concussion, a number of bruises and scrapes littered her small body – _What the hell happened?!_

"Draco, I need a grade 2 pain relief potion and a blood replenisher as well, if you could," Severus asked, holding his hand out waiting for the vials. Once he felt them in his hand, he turned to Harry and said, "If you could assist me in giving her these, Potter."

"Of course, sir," was the surprisingly polite, if not stiff reply. He waited until he was seated next to the girl's head, before he began administering the potions that would stabilize the child before transport, he hoped, to St. Mongo's. Once the pain reliever hit her, her eyes opened, and her first word was shocking.

"D…Daddy?"

"Shh, I'm here Sweet One," Potter said gently while brushing the back of his fingers against her cheek, "Sleep, now, and when you next wake, the pain will be gone completely. Draco will be taking you to the hospital."

"'K, Daddy," she whispered as sleep took hold of her.

"Thank you, Severus," Harry said, finally looking up at him.

Severus stared. Never in a million did he ever imagine Potter being _parental._ It was startling, but watching him with the child, he could see quite clearly the love and fondness he had for her, as if they had been together for years. He couldn't understand, and he knew there was something that he was missing. He silently vowed that he would get the answers he was seeking for him or from Draco.

"Of course, Potter…" he started, only to give the boy a glare at the interruption.

"Harry…my name is Harry, sir," he said, not understanding the sudden blush, only for those words to cycle through his mind again, or the laughter from Draco at said blush.

"Harry then. I am glad that I was here to help," he replied, standing.

He watched silently as Draco and Potter conversed, a portkey made, and Potter excusing himself with a mutter from Draco, "Coward…" and a nod from Potter in agreeance.

He blinked, unsure what to think as the boy disappeared in a flash of green flames. "Draco, you will be explaining what has happened here today," he said to his godson. It wasn't a request, he would receive the answers to his questions.

Severus watched as Draco looked at him before he sighed, "I will tell you what I can, Uncle, but most of it would have to come from Harry himself."

"And the child?"

"I don't know much more than you do, honestly," was Draco's reply as he moved over to the child, placing the quill on her chest, "I should take her to Mongo's, I don't know when I'll be back, I won't be leaving her by herself in a place she's never been before."

"Of course," Severus told him with a small nod of understanding, "She should be seen too," and before Draco could activate the portkey, he asked quickly, "What is her name?"

Draco smiled, "Emberly," he told him and said, " _Portus._ "

Severus stood there for a moment, staring at the spot both his godson and the child, Emberly, had been. He bent down and picked up his bag and as he stood, he noticed an envelope on the table beside his bag. Written in a beautiful calligraphy was his name: _Severus_.

Picking it up, he moved to the couch and sat heavily. It hadn't been there when he first entered the room, and he knew it wasn't from Draco, he would have recognized the writing. That only left Potter, but having seen his writing for seven years, it wasn't recognizable, but it was the only conclusion he had.

He sat there for long moments staring at it. Unsure what was inside, unsure if he wanted to know. He let out a shaky breath, his hands shaking as he turned it over and broke the seal, whispering, " _I will always love you, my Severus…"_

 _Dear Severus,_

 _First, I'd like to apologize for using your first name without permission but starting this letter any other way didn't seem right. There is so much I want to tell you, need to tell you, yet, I admit that I am the worst Gryffindor and that when it comes to you, I am an utter coward. A selfish coward, but a coward none the less._

 _I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me for my part to your pain that you suffered while in a coma. I could not see a world without you. You, the man that is strong and brave, and so_ damn _selfless. You, the man that sacrificed nearly, if not, everything, to save this world, our unforgiving and undeserving world._

 _You, Severus Snape, are a hero in your own right, a hero that deserves recognition, but most importantly? You're_ my _hero. I know that that may sound ridiculous to you, but it is true. Without you, Severus, I would have died back in first year. I owe you my life, yet it is not my life to give, not anymore._

 _I wish I could tell you everything, everything that you need to know, that you deserve to know, but you and I, we are broken souls. So many of those that we had counted on most of our lives, have let us down, or betrayed our trust in the worse possible way._

 _Despite what you may be thinking because of this letter, please know that my feeling for you have not been that of hate, or even dislike, for many years. When I found you in the Shake, when you gave me your memories, and as I walked to my death, all I thought of was you, of how unfair the world has been to you._

 _After defeating Voldemort, I returned to the Shake, and you were still there, so pale and cold, but still breathing and I knew that Death had not yet claimed you, that I still had a chance to save you, so that you could have that happily ever after that you had deemed yourself unworthy for._

 _I took it upon myself to be selfish, after giving my life for a world that thrust their survival on a boy that knew nothing, I felt that I had the right to be selfish, but to my shame, it was at your expense, and for that I am truly sorry. I put you in stasis, then searched your many pockets until I found a vial that I knew to be an antidote, one that I knew you wouldn't take yourself, believing it was time._

 _I did not expect the combination of my magic, the antidote, Nagini's venom, and Death being so close, caused an unlikely scenario. The antidote did its job flushing your system free of the venom, but whatever magic was entwined with her being_ his _horcrux and her venom reacted to my slowly evolving, at the time, magic. Once you were out of stasis, having delivered you to Draco, you remained in a coma. No one knew how to bring you back out of it. It wasn't until three years ago that I stumbled upon a cure and I could fix my mistake._

 _I hope you can find it in yourself to allow me to explain more, but I will understand if you would want nothing to do with me. If that is the case, know that I care about you far more than you could possibly imagine. I beg of you to give me a chance…that is all I ask of you._

 _Harry_

Severus sat there for a long time, trying to process what he had read. He wasn't sure what to make of the letter. He felt angry and humiliated, felt as if his choices had been ignored and taken from him because a stupid little boy wanted to be selfish!

He nearly tore the letter into pieces and tossed them into the fire, but that voice from three years ago that said so softly that he barely heard them, " _I will always love you, my Severus…"_ He was still unsure of what to make of the words spoken as they haunted his dreams.

Making a decision, he stood, stuffing the letter into a pocket and called out, "Tilly!"

"Yes, Master Severus? You bes calling Tilly?" the little house elf asked when she appeared.

"Yes, I need you to go find Potter and bring him here. If he asks, tell him it is urgent and that your master wishes to speak to him. You're not to tell him that it is me requesting his presence. If he continues to ask, please inform him that it is in regard to Emberly but reassure him that she is fine as far as we know. Can you do this for me?" he asked.

"I's be getting Master right aways Master Severus!" and she 'pop'ed out to do just that, only for her to return with Potter a few minutes later.

"Sev…I mean sir?" the boy asked, confused. He must have been expecting Draco.

"Mr. Potter. It seems that there is much we need to talk about, wouldn't you agree?" Severus drawled, arms crossed in front of him and his brow raised.

He watched as Potter stood and swallowed hard, nervous. "Um…I…" he looked down, fear clearly seen in his eyes as he did so. When he looked back up at him, Potter spoke again, "Yes sir, there is."

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 **Please read and review!**


	20. 20: Draco

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Harry Potter seeing as I'm not JKR, though I do have to wonder if she writes her own fanfiction for her books? What an interesting thought...**

 **Summary: Draco stays with Emberly, then heads to the Ministry...**

 **Please enjoy!**

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There he was, sitting in a hospital room next to a child that he hardly knew. Draco let out a sigh and took the girl's small hand in his, his mind going over what Harry had told him before Severus came into the room.

 _"She was murdered. Her soul has been with me since her death. I've grown attached to her, became a father, a better one than her own ever was, to her. Her name is Emberly."_

 _Murdered…and she came back here with Harry. Why?_ He thought to himself, a thumb rubbing circles on the back of her hand. She was a beautiful child, brunette curls and, when he did get a glimpse of her eyes, a startling blue. Looking at her, made him think of the son that he lost.

He wondered what he would have been like if his mother hadn't lost her mind. If his eyes were the silver that is well known in the Malfoy family, his hair the platinum that has be passed down for generations. His sweet boy…lost and how he missed him.

He laid his head on his arm that rested on Emberly's bed and unashamedly let his tears fall. _It's been a little over five years, he should have moved on from this already!_ He scolded himself, his shoulder's shaking as he cried for his precious son.

He didn't know how long he sat there, or how long he cried. He couldn't even recall when he fell asleep. He woke from the movement beside his head, and in his hand, and the low moan coming from the girl.

"Emberly?" he asked quietly, his free hand coming up and brushing a curl behind her ear. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she looked as if she was trying to figure out what happened. "It's alright, Little One, your safe."

It was another moment before she turned her head and opened her eyes slowly. "Wh…where am I?" she asked, confused.

"You're in St. Mongo's. I brought you here upon your father's request." Draco gave her a soft smile and continued, "I'm Draco, a good friend of your father."

"D…Draco?" she asked, pulling her hand out of his and rubbing her eyes, trying to wake up a little more.

"Yes," he nodded, pouring water into a glass and handing it to her. "Has he told you about me?"

She nodded as she sat up a little to take the glass handed to her. "All the time. You and a man called Severus." She grinned and took a sip. "It's nice not to be in so much pain anymore. Daddy was worried I wouldn't have been able to handle the transition back, but I told him that I could."

"He did say that you were, well, murdered…" he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She nodded and gave a sad smile. "I was pushed down the stairs. Death came for me and brought me to Dad. Dad's taken care of me ever since," her smile brightened once she finished.

"How long have you been with him?" Draco asked, curious.

"Hmm…" she tapped her chin, her eyebrows and nose scrunched up in thought, and Draco couldn't help but think her adorable as she did so. "Not sure, time is different there than it is here. I was several years. I'm sure if you asked Daddy, he would be able to tell you more accurately," she told him.

Draco felt surprised at that but managed to conceal it with a nod. "I see…" before either of them could say anything else, the door to the room opened and a healer walked in.

"Good, your awake," the healer said as he took out Emberly's diagnostic results and the list of potions she had been given. Draco turned to her when he heard her giggle and raised an eyebrow in which she just shook her heard. "And how are you feeling?" the healer asked, ignoring the giggle/

"Much better now!" was Emberly's reply with a wide grin.

"And can you tell me how you received the injuries you sustained?"

"I fell down the stairs, and Mr. Draco found me and brought me here," was her shocking, at least to Draco, response.

"I see. And where are your parents?" the healer asked, "or guardians."

"I…I…" Draco watched as she looked down at her lap, where she was still holding the glass of water. "W…Well, I don't have any…" she whispered, and when she looked up, her eyes looked as if she were on the verge of crying.

 _So very Slytherin._ Draco thought with a mental chuckle as he ducked his head to hide his smirk. "Is this true, Lord Malfoy?"

"It is. I found her crumpled at the bottom of some stairs while I was in Muggle London. I had some potions on me for emergencies, and once I felt that she was stable enough with the blood replenisher, I put her in a body bind and brought her here as soon as possible." Draco looked at Emberly and gave her a wink, "I would have told the healers earlier, but I never got the chance."

"I see. Well, you are one very lucky little girl, Miss…" he paused for a moment with a raised brow, waiting for a name.

"Emberly," she told him.

"Miss Emberly," the healer continued, "As I was saying, you're a very lucky girl Miss Emberly, with the injuries that you sustained, you should have died…"

"Excuse me, Healer, but I feel that must mention that Emberly is only 5 years old and that it is inappropriate to tell her that she should have died. I may not be her father or guardian, but even I know that that is too much for a child to take in, let alone a child her age." Draco said, interrupting said healer.

The healer glanced at him then cleared his throat, "Yes, of course, you're right Lord Malfoy," he turned back to Emberly and continued, "At this time, I feel that it is necessary for you to stay overnight for observation. If your injuries are near completely healed, I will release you, but only if someone is available to be your temporary guardian."

Draco glanced at Emberly and saw the expectant look. That was when he realized that both the girl and Harry expected _him_ to become her guardian. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Draco gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to the healer, "I will be her guardian. I will go to the Ministry and file the appropriate paperwork once we're done here. I hope you won't mind that I stay the night and make sure she is well. Emberly shouldn't be here on her own."

The healer blinked, then said with surprise, "Of course, Lord Malfoy. Once you have the paperwork stating that you are her guardian, please bring a copy with you when you return," he turned to Emberly, "If things continue as they are, and you have no complications, you should be able to be released into Lord Malfoy's custody."

With that said the healer left with a nod towards Draco. Once the door was once again closed, he looked at Emberly and said, "The two of you planned this didn't you?" she nodded, grinning, "Why am I not surprised. What does Harry expect from me?"

The child looked at him and said brightly, "He wants you to adopt me, of course!"

"Of course he does," he muttered and stood. "I best be going to the Ministry and fill out that paperwork." He moved toward the door, his hand on the handle, "I'll be back as soon as I can. You should rest, you're still healing."

He watched as she set her water down on the table beside her bed and settled down to get some more sleep. "Ok, Papa…" she whispered as she yawned.

With a shack of his head, he left her room, then the hospital. Once he was in a back alley, he immediately apparated to the Ministry and made his way to the Child Welfare Department. Draco would be speaking to Harry the next time he saw him. He couldn't believe that he would just drop a child into his lap and expect him to take care of her. Of course, he wasn't at all surprised by it either. _Damn you Potter, always meddling when no one wants you too…you're such a coward too._

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 **Please read and review!**


	21. 21: Harry

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

 **Summary: Harry tells Severus who, or rather, what he is...**

 **Here's the next installment...I hope you enjoy!**

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"Mr. Potter. It seems that there is much we need to talk about, wouldn't you agree?" Severus drawled, arms crossed in front of him and his brow raised.

Um…I…" he looked down, nervous and terrified about what Severus wanted to talk about, yet his heart was pounding with a hope that maybe, just maybe, Severus would forgive him and give him a chance. When he looked back up at Severus, he spoke, his voice surprisingly steady, "Yes sir, there is."

"I have read this _letter,"_ he sneered the word, "And have come to a conclusion, despite the anger and humiliation if felt, I have decided, against my best instincts, to give you a chance to explain," he moved closer, no, more like stalked, to Harry, and if he was wearing robes, Harry imagined they would be billowing behind him. He felt a hand grab his chin and force him to look up at the man before him, his heart pounding harder against his chest, and he swallowed. "My first question to you is this: Who is the girl to you and why have you brought her here?"

All Harry wanted to do was take a step back so that they weren't so close, so that his hand was no longer touching him. He felt his face heat up at his close proximity. He finally managed to say, "She…She is my daughter…through magic only. A friend brought her to me because he found her in the same circumstances that I had once been in. I took her in and decided to make her my heir, or at least one of my heirs."

Finally, Severus let go of his chin and turned around before asking, "Who is this friend of yours and what circumstances are you implying."

Harry felt himself breathe a little bit easier, and answered, nervousness in his voice, "Her parents were abusive because of her magic. Her father pushed her down the stairs and…" he paused, _what was he supposed to say. He couldn't tell him that he was the Master of Death…not yet._

"And…?" Severus prompted, looking over his shoulder at him.

"And nearly killed her. My friend was walking by and heard her cry out. When he found her, he took her and altered the man's memories…"

"Your lying. I can hear it in your voice. You were always a bad liar." Severus told him, anger filling his voice. "You _will_ tell me what happened, the truth this time, Mr. Potter," he practically spat at him.

Harry winced, he had no choice…he had to tell him. "Her father pushed her down the stairs, it killed her. My friend…my friend is Death, and I am his master. He brought Emberly to me, or rather her soul. She has been with me for nearly 2 decades now." He refused to look up at the man, refused to see the rejection on his face, the disdain. Harry felt the pounding in his heart lessen as the hope he had held for so long slowly bled away.

It was silent for several minutes, and Harry remained on the floor where he landed when Tilly brought them there. He felt his eyes well up with tears, but he refused to let them fall, he would not let Severus see how much he could hurt him with his next words.

Tension filled the room as the waiting grew longer until, finally, Severus spoke, "Of course, the Elder Wand. That is what Draco was referring too."

Harry's head snapped up in shock and surprise, "Draco? What has he told you?" he demanded, wincing at the glare shot his way, making him look away again.

"Draco did not tell me much, only that he was responsible for you gaining the Elder Wand." Severus sighed and sat down on the couch. "Why do you believe so strongly that it was your fault for my coma?"

"Because it was. It wasn't long after the Elder Wand came into my possession, and unbeknownst to me, my magic was already evolving, changing so that I could take on my role as Death's Master. It had to be able to handle Death magic. When I put you in stasis, that changing magic interacted poorly with the antidote, Nagini's venom and the magic mixed with it from Voldemort's horcrux," Harry told him, still looking down at the floor. He needed to get it all out, needed to say it, but he still worried, worried about being rejected.

"Earlier you said that Emberly has been with you, or her soul, for 20 years. Explain."

"Time flows differently there. I…I am far older than I look…" he whispered just loud enough for Severus to hear.

Again, there was silence. For how long Harry did not know, nor did her care. He was waiting to be condemned, condemned for who and what he was. He squeezed his hands closed in his lap as he tried his hardest to keep his emotions from showing.

"I heard what you said…" came a whisper from the couch, causeing Harry to look up once more.

"Heard?" he asked, confused.

" _I will always love you, my Severus._ "

Harry's eyes went wide, fear now far more visible, not just in his eyes, but on his face. He sat there on his knees, stiff with terror. _No! No, he couldn't have!_ He thought in a panic. After another moment, he stood quickly, shaking his head, whispering, "No…no…I left before…" He turned and headed for the door, letting his shadows wrap around him once more, taking him to the only place he knew he could be safe from rejection.

"Harry?" a concerned voice said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"I…" his voice shook with fear, "I'm sorry…I…" he shook his head this time, hoping to find his voice, and steady it once more. "Please, may I stay here for a while Andy? My other accommodations…they…I cannot stay there." He looked at her, eyes pleading and hoping that she would let him stay.

"Of course, stay as long as you need. The guest room is always ready for guests, so you may take it for now." Andromeda said, confusion and worry on her face.

"Thank you," he turned towards the stairs before continuing, "Please let Teddy know that I wish to be a lone for the rest of the night. I…need to think." The rest said in a whisper.

"I will. I'll let him know that you will see him in the morning at breakfast and tell him not to ask to many questions that you're not ready to talk about." Andromeda assured him.

Nodding his head, Harry quickly, and quietly, went up the stairs, remembering where the guest room was. Once there, he closed the door with a soft _click_ and locked it, both magically and physically before tossing up several wards, including a silencing charm. When he finished, he turned his back to the door, and slid down it until he was sitting, his head buried in his knees. Finally, Harry let his emotions free, great, big heart-breaking sobs.

He sat there and cried for what felt like hours. Surly Severus was going to reject him, tell him he is nothing but a selfish, though it was partly true, self-centers, spoiled brat of a boy, just like his father. Severus deserved someone better than him, and how could He have thought that he could be with such a proud and brave man such as Severus.

He didn't deserve someone like Severus, never had if he was honest with himself. It was foolish to even think it was a possibility. So, he sat there and cried as his heart broke, knowing that Severus would never want him, knowing that the man he loved would be mocking him and calling him all sorts of names. Draco had be right of course, he was the worst Gryffindor ever…he was a coward and that was all there was to it.

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 **Please read and review, your thoughts are always welcome!**


	22. 22: The Greengrasses

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

 **Summary: The Greengrasses reflect...**

 **Please enjoy the new chapter!**

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When the war was finally over, they were happy. Happy to no longer have to worry for their daughters' safety, to no longer have to worry about an insane Dark Lord hell bent on destroying their world.

After Hogwarts was open again, they were happy to watch their daughters graduate after such a horrific year with Death Eaters running rampant. And then Astoria married the Malfoy heir, and the two of them were so happy and so obviously in love, that it warmed their hearts as they watched them.

And then there was the news of their first grandchild, Daphne deciding to pursue a mastery in healing before getting married. The moment they learned of the child, they could see a change in Draco. He was smitten, and so very proud and excited to become a father, Astoria just giving him a knowing, indulging, look as he pampered and spoiled her.

Then Fate decided to take it all away from them the moment the little boy was born. Something inside Astoria snapped, and no one really understood what had happened. Draco broke, the loss of his wife and son throwing him into painful grief.

When Draco had called them that fateful night, his eyes wild with such horror and grief, they weren't sure what to make of it, that is until they saw his memory. To see their youngest child, mad and performing an unknown ritual consisting of _black magic_ , it broke their heart, and they knew that whatever Draco wanted to do, they would support him.

Once the contract had been dissolved, and Draco had disowned the child, they did everything they could to convince Astoria to go to St. Mongo's and see a Mind Healer, but she refused, time and time again. Eventually they told her that if she didn't go, her father would disown them both.

It was a sad day when Lord Greengrass disowned his daughter and grandson, but they knew it had to be done. Her refusal to receive help had broken Daphne's heart. The two of them had always been so close and when Astoria found out that she was expecting, Daphne dragged her to Diagon to do some baby shopping.

To have lost bother her beloved sister and her nephew at once, broke something in her, but caused her to work that much harder. Instead of becoming a Healer, Daphne changed her healing classes to that of a Mind Healer, determined to help those that needed it most, seeing that she wouldn't be able to help her sister.

It has been five years since that horrible day, and still Lady Greengrass missed the girl that had once been her youngest daughter. Whenever she went to Diagon Alley to do some shopping, there had been more times than not when she would see Astoria and Scorpius walking along the street, moving from shop to shop.

Despite the lack of money, Astoria continued to be well dressed, the same for her son. Lady Greengrass would feel a shiver of foreboding every time she laid eyes on the unnaturally intelligent and quiet child. His eyes were the red that she remembered Draco telling her about. The eyes of the Dark Lord.

Occasionally, Lady Greengrass would approach the girl and beg her to reconsider, to go to Mongo's and see a Mind Healer, and every time Astoria would laugh a mad laugh and smile a cruel smile and say, "Whatever for? I'm doing what no one else would ever do, and I have no need for a nosey Mind Healer to traipse around my memories," and she would turn to the boy and give him a gentle, loving smile, "Come my sweet boy, we have much to do if we're to return home in time."

Lady Greengrass would watch the two walk away, and almost always enter an apothecary. She remembered asking Daphne when she graduated from her Mind Healer's program, what she thought had happened. She would never forget the downtrodden look that her baby gave her.

"Malfoy Manor. It is the only thing I can think of," she replied.

"How so?" Lord Greengrass asked.

"We all know that Voldemort lived there for years before his demise. The dark magic and the rituals performed there, they would have lingered in a way. It didn't affect Draco so much because he was so used to his father performing those magics, and with the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord living and coming and going from the Manor, it became normal for him.

"When Astoria moved in, we should have asked, should have _thought_ to ask if the house had been cleansed. If it hadn't been, I would have insisted that it be done before she moved in. Astoria and I, we grew up in a neutral house. Dark magic and Light magic performed equally. That much of a malevolent magical presence would have affected anyone that was neutral or light, or anyone unused to so much darkness already." Daphne sighed and hugged herself.

"It's the only thing that could have made her do what she did, and now with all the black magic she has performed, there is no saving her. Not anymore."

For days, Lady Greengrass locked herself in her room and cried, cried for the daughter and grandson she had lost. When she was finished, she had turned to Draco and told him of Daphne's thoughts as to what had happened. To see the young man, break once more, the blame and the grief etched on his face, it only served to break her heart all the more.

They couldn't blame the boy, he blamed himself more than enough. No one had thought to do a cleansing ritual through Gringotts, and that only made it worse for them all. The knowledge of what his home had done to his wife and child, they were mildly surprised that he hadn't burned it to the ground. Instead, Draco Malfoy moved himself and his godfather to an unknown location and refused to step foot in Magical Britain, not that they could blame him of course.

Now, they could feel change coming, and they hoped it was for the better. Potter had been gone for the same five years after the scandal caused by Molly and Ginevra, and they prayed to Merlin that he would come back, that he would be there for Draco and bring him back to society.

Shaking their heads of such thoughts, they prepared as best as they could for the change they could feel in the air, and perhaps more lives could be saved before Death would claim them all with the resurrection of the Dark Lord.

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	23. 23: Draco

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**

 **Summary: Draco finds Severus drunk upon his and Emberly's return home...**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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When Draco returned home with Emberly in toe, he certainly didn't expect to see his godfather sitting on the couch with a crumpled piece of parchment in one hand a half-filled glass of firewhiskey in the other. His potions bag was still on the table where Draco had left it the afternoon before, right next to said mostly empty bottle of whiskey.

Draco let out a sigh and turned to the dosing child in his arms, "Emberly," he said softly, "I'm going to take you to bed so that you can rest some more. I know your still tired so no arguing."

"Yes Papa…" was her mumbled reply.

Ignoring Severus on the couch, Draco left the living room and headed towards the stairs that would lead to the bedrooms. He went down the hallway and stopped at the room next to the one he had designated for Harry. Walking in, there was a bed against one wall, a window with an accompanying seat against another, across from the bedroom door, with a book case on one side and small writing desk on the other. Against the wall opposite the bed, was a wardrobe and a vanity.

The walls were painted a light pink with a mural of a garden on all the walls that he had asked Tilly to do the night before. He quickly moved over to the bed, and using on hand, surprisingly well for his first time, pulled the light blanket back and gently settled Emberly down on the soft mattress.

"Shh, get some sleep, Little One, the potions are still doing their job," Draco whispered pressing a light kiss to her forehead.

"Daddy…?" she asked sleepily.

"I don't know where he is at the moment, but once I find him, I will send him here for you, alright?" Draco asked as he pulled the blanket back up and tucked her in. He watched her nod and bury her head into the pillow with a soft smile. Once he was sure she was asleep once more, Draco turned and quietly left the room.

With the door closed, Draco softly called out, "Tilly!"

There was a 'pop' and a voice squeaked, "Master Draco call for Tilly?"

"Yes, I have two questions. The first being, where is Harry? The second, why is Severus sloshed on the couch?" He watched as his loyal elf twisted her hands and shifted from foot to foot in nervousness. "Tilly? What happened last night?"

Master Severus bes asking Tilly to find Master and brings him home. Tilly finds Master and tells him that other Master wished to sees him right aways, but was told not to tell Master which other Master calls for him. Tilly brings Master home and leaves before Master Severus and Master talk. But Till wanting to make sure Masters bes alright, listened to Masters through the door."

She started twisting her ears at this point and Draco was of a mind to let the poor elf go and wake his godfather up. Before he could do so, Tilly continued, "Master Severus asked about Little Miss, so Master tells Master Severus, but Master Severus tells Master not to lie. Tells Mater to tell Master Severus the truth. So Master tells Master Severus that Master is Master of Death and the Little Miss was killed my her first father and that Death brought Little Miss to him."

"I see," Draco drawled, wondering what state Harry must be in if Severus is drunk on the couch, "Go on Tilly."

"Master then tells Master Severus how he sleeps for so long. Then Master Severus tells Master that he "heard", but Master was confused. Then Master Severus says " _I will always love you, my Severus,"_ and Master gets scared and oanics, he does. He then ran and lefts. After Master left, Master Severus starts cursing and hexing and gets bottle and drinks and drinks. Then yous come home with Little Miss and calls for Tilly."

Draco cursed under his breath, aware that his ward is sleeping in the room behind. "Thank you, Tilly. After you tell me Harry's location, you may go back to your other duties."

"Master bes with a little wolf," she said with a small bow and leaves.

 _Little wolf? She must mean Teddy Lupin over at Aunt Andromeda's._ He nods and heads back down the stairs. Upon entering the living room, a second time, Draco lets out a heavy sigh and whispers, "Damn it Uncle, you never had any patience and you always had to know right away. Look at the mess you have made!"

He took the glass of whiskey out of his hand and sets it on the table. He looked at the parchment in his other hand but decides to leave it there so that it doesn't tear. Draco then shakes his shoulder gently, "Wake up Uncle, we have a great deal to discuss, you and I."

Draco watched as Severus jerks awake, hand going for his wand before realizing that it was his godson that woke him. "Draco? What time is it?"

"It's half past 1 in the afternoon Godfather. How long have you been drinking?" Draco countered, sitting on the table in front of the couch.

Severus winced at the time and rubbed his temple, a throbbing headache already making its presence known. "Can you hand me a sobering potion, Draco?" he asked, holding a hand out as he leaned forward, his head down and eyes shut tightly.

"No, I don't think I will. You've made a right mess of this Severus Snape, and before I give you any potion, I want to know _why_ exactly you felt it necessary to inform Harry that you heard his confession before he was ready to inform you himself."

"Draco," Severus growled, "I am not in the mood to play games with you. Hand me my bag and I'll get my potion myself."

Draco ignored the growl and the pointed glare shot his way, "You said I was playing games, Godfather?" he said with a raised brow. "You'll get your potion when you tell me why you said what you did, and not before."

Severus continued to glare at him until he finally fell back against the couch, head resting on the back, tilted up and his eyes clinched. "Fine. I wanted answers and I wasn't willing to wait for you to return home. Especially after the _dunderhead_ left me a letter."

Draco sat up straighter, both brows raised at this, "What letter?" he asked.

Without saying another word, his father figure thrust out the hand that held the crumpled parchment. He took it and gently flattened it on his lap. Once the wrinkles were mostly gone, he read it, his eyes widening as he came near the end.

"Oh Harry, you idiot!" he whispered in exasperation. He quickly took out a sobering potion and handed it to Severus, his hand already held out, waiting for it. Draco knew that if he didn't provide the potion, he wouldn't be receiving any more answers.

Once Severus drank the potion, he waited a few more moments until he heard the sigh of relief from the hangover Severus gave himself. "What happened after you told Harry you heard his confession?"

His uncle sighed and put his head in his hands, "He panicked and ran. I didn't take his words seriously. Potter had never been a coward before, and to see him run from me what I told him, the fear on his face, I never thought…"

"Exactly, you didn't think, Uncle," Draco said, standing and walking over to the fireplace, frustrated. "Harry has very good reason for his panic, for being a coward, even if I do tease him about it." Draco looked over his shoulder so that he could see Severus, "He's been in love with you since the end of 3rd year, and he is centuries old, and has been alone for a very, very long time."

"Centuries?" Severus asked, shocked.

Draco sighed and moved back from the fireplace. "Come on, there are some things you should see. Besides, it would be far easier to show you than to tell you," and with that, he lead his godfather to his office, where his pensive sat.

He walked up to the basin, his wand already at his temple, pulling out memories of the talks he had had with Harry, the trials, especially Severus's, the talks Harry had with Severus while he was still in his coma, and he didn't know that Draco was there. Once they were all in the pensive, he touched a couple of the runes that littered the edge of the bowl, letting it know to show the memories in order, the oldest first.

"Go, watch and learn," Draco told him with a wave of his hand and moved towards his desk where he opened his locked drawer, pulling out the letters Harry had sent him since he first left, at least all the one where his godfather was mentioned, and how terribly lonely he was.

When he looked up next, he saw that Severus had done as he had asked, albeit with no choice to refuse. He stood and went to where his liquor was and pour himself a glass of scotch and waited for Severus to return.

It took close to an hour and a half before Severus came out of the pensive, face pale with shock at what he saw. Draco shook his head and poured another glass of whiskey and handed it to the man once he sat down. I have a letter for you to read. Perhaps you'll understand more as to why he believes he is a 'coward'." He moved over to his desk and picked up the letter Harry had sent soon after Severus first woke up.

He watched as his godfather took the piece of parchment with a shaking hand, setting his empty tumbler on the small table beside his chair. "Draco…" he started, only to be interrupted.

"Read it Uncle, once your done with that one, I have several other on my desk for you to read. I suggest you do so. And while your doing that, I'm going to floo Aunt Andy and check on my friend," he turned around and left without another word.

Draco returned to the living room and took a small handful of floo powder, tossd it into the low flame and called out "Tonk' Abode!" before sticking his head into the emerald fire.

"Aunt Andy?" he called upon seeing no one in the living room.

"Draco, is that you dear?" a voice from the kitchen called before Andromeda steeped into the room, wiping her hands off on a towel.

"Yes, I was just calling to see if Harry is here with you and how he is doing?" he asked, concerned.

"He came back last night about an hour before dinner. He was rather upset and wanted to be alone. I hadn't seen Harry that panicked in all the time I've known him. What on earth happened?" Andy asked, concern lacing her voice as she knelt in front of the fire to see Draco better.

Draco let out a sigh and said, "Though I know what happened, it's not my place to say. How is he today?"

Andy nodded in understanding before she said, "He took Teddy out for the day. He wanted to spend time with him as much as he can before he has to leave again. Or at least that's what he told me this morning after breakfast," she shook her head and continued, "That poor boy has had so much worng done to him, and what ever happened between the time the elf came and got him and he returned here, he is doing a rather good job of hiding his hurt, but I can see it in his eyes, and when he smiles. So much sadness."

Draco surpressed a growl he wanted to let loose at that. _Damn it Severus!_ he silently cursed his godfather. He took a deep breath to calm his anger before turning back to his aunt, "Thank you for telling me. It would, perhaps, be best if he stayed there for the time being. Please inform him that Emberly is well and is home from St. Mongo's, and that she would like to see him when he is feeling up to it."

"Of course, I'll let him know when they come home for dinner." She assured him.

"Again, thank you. I best leave, I've left a guest in my office, and I would prefer to have everything intact instead of broken," and he pulled his head out of the flames, ending the call.

He stood and cast a cleaning charm at himself to get any shoot that clung to him after the call. Draco then headed back to his office, a part of him dreading the reaction Severus would have upon learning of Harry's unwanted immortality.

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 **Please read and review, and, as always, any suggests for future chapter will be taken seriously and most likely implemented, so, feel free to provide any ideas!**


	24. 24: Severus

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

 **Summary: Severus reads Harry's letters to Draco and learns some ugly truths about himself...**

 **Please Enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

When Severus came out of the pensive, his mind was blank. He didn't know what to think, didn't know how to respond. He felt a glass being pressed into his hand and he stumbled over to a chair where he proceeded to down it.

"I have a letter for you to read. Perhaps you'll understand more as to why he believes he is a 'coward'." Severus watched as he walked over to his desk and picked up a piece of warn parchment and handed it to him. He took it with a shaking hand, setting his empty tumbler on the small table beside his chair. "Draco…" he started, only to be interrupted.

"Read it Uncle, once you're done with that one, I have several other on my desk for you to read. I suggest you do so. And while you're doing that, I'm going to floo Aunt Andy and check on my friend," he turned around and left without another word.

Severus stared at the folded parchment with Draco's name on it. It was like the day before. He wanted to know what was written, yet he knew that he wouldn't like what he saw. Taking a deep breath, he unfolded the letter and started to read it.

When his eyes lit upon the potion that woke him, he felt horror fill him. _How I found it was through a great tragedy and I cannot speak of the horrors I saw as I guided hundreds of children to their afterlife._ He didn't, couldn't even imagine what Potter must have gone through, how he survived that horror.

He closed his eyes as he read of the pain he went through while in a coma, and to know that it was partially Potter's fault for what he went through. He pushed it aside, the boy had apologized, his guilt clear in his letter to him and on his face when he spoke of it. He could forgive him for that, he had suffered the guilt long enough. He felt his eyes water as he read Potter's shame, _I could not live, knowing that he would die. I saved him for selfish reasons, Draco, and I am ashamed of that._

To see him write that he had lived for centuries was just as shocking as hearing it from Draco. To be alone for so long, and to love a man without that love diminishing, even if that man was a greasy dungeon such as he was, or had been, was astounding to him and he could not help but feel awe from that knowledge.

And then he read it. His heart stopped as he read the fear. He could clearly picture that fear now. The fear he so clearly saw on his face the night before just before he ran from him. He felt shame for his action, for the way he went about telling Potter that he had heard his confession of love.

Severus stopped reading for a moment as he tried to contain his emotions, but he was unable to stop the tears from sliding down his cheeks. _What had he done?_ After a moment, where he decided it best to leave his tears be as he continued to read. _I am afraid that he will not want me for the title that I never wanted, and the immortality that comes with it._

He scrubbed at his face as he got to the part about Draco. He had to have clear eyes to learn about his godson. He only saw snippets as he read the same paragraph over and over again, trying to comprehend what it was that he was reading… _blocked the trauma from your mind… seen something horrible and life changing…_

What horrors did Draco go through that would cause him to block his own memories? What had happened five years ago that changed his godson so much from the man, no boy, that he once was? Severus shook his head. If Draco could not tell him, and if Potter… _Harry_ …could forgive him for his own foolishness, Perhaps, when things settled once more, he would learn what had happened.

For now, he continued to read, and what he saw only confirmed what Harry had told him about the girl the night before. Murdered for having magic…muggles, the most horrible ones that is, never truly changed, do they?

Severus stood and folded the letter and moved over to Draco's desk where he saw a small stack of parchment with Draco's name written in the same calligraphy as the other two that he read.

Picking them up, Severus settled in Draco's chair behind his desk and slowly, methodically read through each one. He read of the loneliness that plagued him and smiled at the points where Harry tried to describe Death's assistance in trying to alleviate that loneliness. The ramblings of harry trying to explain his feelings to an entity that simply didn't understand.

Once he was finished reading the letters, he placed them all back into a neat little pile and sat back in in the chair. He closed his eyes and tried to assimilate everything he had learned, from the memories that he watched and the letters that he read, and all he could think about was how ashamed he was of his behavior towards possibly the only man that could love him for who he was and not want to change him.

The door opened, and he looked to see Draco walk in. "Did you find him?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes, he is spending the day with his godson. From what Aunt Andy told me, and from reading between the lines, it seems that Harry may be leaving sooner than we expected."

Severus sucked in a hard to swallow breath and closed his eyes. _It was his fault. His fault for letting Harry think he was out right rejecting him when he didn't even have two minds about the implications._ "I am truly sorry Draco. I know that you have missed him and because of my…dunderheadedness, I have chased him off."

"So, you understand now?" Draco asked, moving to the chair that was usually for guests to sit in.

"I have no excuses for what I did. I was foolish and prideful. I didn't take into account his feelings, ignored the fear he clearly felt, and showed. I am ashamed of my action Draco, and I haven't a clue as to how to fix it."

"You wait. Give him the rest of today to spend with Teddy, then go to him tomorrow. Tell him what you've just told me," Draco advised before he leaned forward in his chair and looked him in the eyes, "And will you reject him and his feelings, or will you accept that he loves you and try at a relationship with him, Uncle?"

Severus closed his eyes once more, a heavy sigh escaping. He has accepted Harry's feeling for him, how could he not when it was so clearly shown. He had also forgiven him for his part in his coma. It was unintentional, a side effect that he hadn't known about until much later and worked centuries to fix.

"Yes, I have already accepted his feeling toward me. It is the only thing to do. As for a relationship. I have come to realize that I have respect harry for all that he has done, for me, for you, for the world that doesn't deserve him, even before I went into a coma. That respect has only grown to my caring for him. He is an extraordinary young man," he shook his head and sat back, heavily, in the chair. "I do not love him, but that is not to say that I can't." He looked at his godson and waited for his response.

Draco nodded and gave him a smile. "That is all I can ask of you. It pleases me that you were able to see past your pride, and your own fears, to see the whole picture that is Harry Potter. He is a good man, and loyal to a fault. He needs someone to care for him, it is something he has never had, and though I have tried, it is not me that he wants caring for him, but you." Draco stood and refiled both his and Severus's discarded tumblers once more before handing him the glass.

"I will not lie to you, Uncle. Harry has seen and been through so much. Things that I cannot even imagine. He needs someone to accept him for everything that he is, all his faults and his being the Master of Death included. If you hurt him, I may never forgive you. You need to understand that."

Severus blinked at Draco's words. He hadn't realized these last three years how protective he was of Harry, but now he could see it clear as day. He nodded in acceptance of his words and gave his godson a tentative smile. "I will heed your words, not for myself, but for Harry," he told him solemnly.

"Thank you. It has been quite a while since I first brought you here. Let me go wake Emberly and well go and eat some dinner," he walked back to the door he had come through moments before but stopped just as he was passing through the threshold, "I am quite serious when I say that you're to wait until the morning to go to him. He need the time to collect himself, just as much as you do."

"I understand Draco, and I will," Severus assured him. To be honest, he didn't think he could face him yet. His own emotions and thoughts were all over the place and he needed to meditate on what he learned, for fear that he didn't, he would only make things worse, instead of better. With a sigh, Severus down the rest of his scotch, stood, and followed Draco out of the office and towards the dining room.

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	25. Story Timeline

**So I know many of you may have gotten confused as to the timeline of this particular story, so here it is for you. I know I promised new chapters by Christmas, unfortunately my beta ended up sick for the whole of the holidays and was unable to work on any edits.**

 **I have worked on several chapters for this story and I hope to get them posted soon enough. I'll continue to keep you updated on when I'll be able to upload so that you all know that I haven't forgotten you or Draco's Saving Grace.**

 **As for the continuation of the timeline, I'll post the relevant information at the end of each new chapter posted. For now, here is the timeline for chapters 1-24 with a brief summary of each chapter!**

 **If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll do my best to to answer said questions! Thank you for your patience!**

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 **Chapter 1: Draco**

January 13, 2003 – Scorpius Malfoy born

January 14, 2003 – Astoria does ritual to resurrect

 **Chapter 2: Harry**

January 17, 2003 – Harry reads article and confronts Draco for an explanation and informs Draco of taking role as MOD

 **Chapter 3: Harry**

January 17, 2003 – Harry goes to Gringotts to get started on his plans for taking up his role as MOD ad securing his heirs

 **Chapter 4: Neville**

January 20, 2003 – Harry sends a letter to Neville in regard to the gardens and greenhouses of the new safe house for Draco and Severus and Neville sends his reply

January 22, 2003 – Harry replies to Neville's letter, in which Neville also replies back in return

January 23, 2003 – Neville arrives at Peverell safe house and looks over gardens and greenhouses

 **Chapter 5: Draco**

April 10, 2003 – Draco reads article about Ginny's attempted line theft and gets Harry to confess his love for Severus and leaves to be MOD

 **Chapter 6: Ginny**

April 16, 2003 – Ginny in St. Mongo's Secure ward – three months pregnant

 **Chapter 7: Draco**

April 20, 2003 – Draco prepares to move Severus to new safe house, given to him by Harry and grieves for his losses

 **Chapter 8: Severus**

April 20, 2003 – Severus looks back on his life and shows his experience when the healers examined him

 **Chapter 9: Harry**

May 18, 2005 – Harry gives potion to Severus and confesses his love to the man before leaving once more. Death brings Emberly as a companion for Harry

 **Chapter 10: Severus**

May 18, 2005 – Severus wakes, hears Harry's confession and learns of what has happened since he was in a coma

 **Chapter 11: Emberly**

May 18, 2005 – Emberly dies and wakes up elsewhere after Death takes her soul and she meets Harry

 **Chapter 12: Draco**

May 18, 2005 – Draco composes himself and gets his godfather something to eat before continuing to inform Severus of what all has happened. He writes Harry, wishing Harry was there and about his concerns for not remember all the details of what happened with Astoria and his son

 **Chapter 13: Emberly**

No particular dates available due to time flowing differently and Harry able to travel to different universes as he teaches Emberly how to reap souls and Harry decides it's time to return home (three years after Severus wakes, so that would be 2008)

 **Chapter 14: Death**

Death doesn't want Harry or Emberly to leave, but understands why they are (again no date for this chapter)

 **Chapter 15: Gred and Forge**

June 28, 2008 – Fred and George discuss the end of the Battle and their intentions towards Draco, wishing Harry was there to talk to

 **Chapter 16: Ginny**

June 28, 2008 – Ginny conspires with Lucius in regard to revenge against Harry

 **Chapter 17: Harry**

June 28, 2008 – Harry returns to the cottage where Draco and Severus live, bringing Emberly with him. Draco takes Emberly to St. Mongo's and Harry goes and sees Andromeda and Teddy

 **Chapter 18: Andromeda**

June 28, 2008 – Harry visits Teddy and Andy, only to be called back to the Peverell cottage by Tilly

 **Chapter 19: Severus**

June 28, 2008 – Severus finds the letter Harry left him and, in his anger, called for Tilly to fetch Harry so that he may confront the boy turned man

 **Chapter 20: Draco**

June 28, 2008 – Draco has taken Emberly to St. Mongo's and takes temporary guardianship over Emberly

 **Chapter 21: Harry**

June 28, 2008 – Severus continues his confrontation with Harry, revealing that he heard Harry's confession, only for Harry to leave and return to Andromeda's

 **Chapter 22: The Greengrasses**

June 2008 – the Greengrasses think back on what had happened to their younger daughter and the child that was once their grandson

 **Chapter 23: Draco**

June 29, 2008 – Draco returns home with Emberly, and finds Severus passed out on the couch where he left him. Draco shows Severus his memories and letters in regard to Harry and his thoughts on Severus.

 **Chapter 24: Severus**

June 29, 2008 – Severus realizes his mistake and wants nothing more than to find Harry and speak to him but follows Draco's advice to wait.


	26. 25: Harry

**Chapter Summary:** **Harry spends the day with his godson, Teddy**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

 **A/N: DSG is in the process of being completely edited. At this time, Ch. 25 has yet to be edited, but seeing as it has been several months since my last up date, I thought I would give you all a treat and go ahead and post the next chapter.**

 **DSG will be updated with new chapter sporadically, but I will continue writing chapters. At this time, I have half of chapter 31 written, so never fear, my dear readers, this story hasn't been abandoned!**

 **Please enjoy and remember, it hasn't been edited yet!**

* * *

 **Harry**

He didn't know how long he sat there, his back against the door, but it must have been hours with the way his neck hurt and the ache in his lower back. He moved to stand and stretch his muscles, only to wince at the stiffness and groan at the pain. Realizing he must have fallen asleep where he sat, he tried to think of why he would have done something like that. He was old, damn it! Too old to be falling asleep on the floor like a silly teenager.

Harry moved and sat on the edge of the bed, hand rubbing at his neck to help loosen the muscles, as he thought about why, exactly he had been on the floor to begin with, only for his eyes to widen, and for his face to pale to an almost ashen color as his memories of the day – or was it night? – before. Memories that he wished would have stayed away but didn't. Memories that he could hear as if the conversation had been right in his room, right before him, instead of from the night before

 _"_ _I heard what you said…"_

 _"_ _Heard?"_

"I will always love you, my Severus."

Harry felt his panic building once. It's only been a couple days, and his return home, something to be joyous about, is completely ruined. His love knew of his feelings for him, and now that he does, will most likely be angry, humiliated, and will reject Harry, just because he is James' son.

He buried his head in his hands as he felt the sobs from the night before return. _What was he supposed to do now? He can't leave Teddy, now that he is back, it would break his heart. And he certainly couldn't leave Emberly either. He still needed to train her, although not as much as before, seeing as he wanted her to have a real childhood._

Harry let his sobs subside slowly as he gathered his thoughts. Right now, what he needed to do was take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and spend the rest of the day with his godson. All thoughts of Severus Snape would remain buried in the back of his mind for the time being. Today was for Teddy.

With new determination, Harry stood and did what he suggested: shower, dress, then breakfast before heading out to London. Once he finished his morning rituals, he dressed in an emerald green t-shirt and some blue jeans. Putting on clean socks and his trusty Converse, he dismantled his wards and opened the door, only to stop at the sight of his godson.

"Un…uncle Harry?"

"Teddy, good morning," he said with a smile, ruffling the boy's gray hair. He blinked at the color, never having seen it before, on him or on his mother. Judging by Teddy's behavior, he would guess that it represented nervousness.

"G…grandma told me that you weren't feeling well," the boy asked, his green eyes looking up at him, hopeful that he was feeling better.

Harry knelt down, pulling Teddy closer so that he was almost in a hug, "Well, Little Wolf, I'm feeling well enough to eat a full breakfast then steal you away to London for the day," he grinned as Teddy's hair turned to a bright sunshine yellow in his happiness.

"Really?" he asked with excitement.

"Yes, really," Harry assured him with a chuckle as he picked him up and stood, heading towards the stairs and to the kitchen where he could already smell breakfast cooking.

"Where will we go?" Teddy asked, arms around Harry's neck.

"I was thinking the London Zoo, and maybe see Big Ben and the London Eye as well," Harry rattled off as they entered the kitchen.

"And it'll be just you and me?" he asked, his sunshine hair getting a tent of gray in his nervousness.

"Just you and me, Teddy Bear."

"Harry!"

He looked up, startled at the shout then smiled, "Good morning, Andy, I hope you made enough for me as well."

"Of course I did!" she told him with a wide smile. "Feeling better?" she asked, though Harry could hear how worried she still was.

"Yes, much, thank you, "He told her with a small smile, though he was sure she could see the sadness that was most definitely lurking in his eyes.

"Good. I'm glad, and if you wish to talk about it, let me know, I'll be here to listen. Now sit, eat. You look dead on your feet. You too, Teddy," Andy said, pushing them both to the table.

After eating his fill, Harry pushed his plate aside and looked over at his godson, just as he was finishing his own, "Well, Little Wolf, you just about ready to head out?"

The boy's head shot up and looked at him with bright eyes and a huge smile, his hair now black, and his eyes green, just like his. "Yes!" he shouted, pushing his plate away as well. "When are we leaving? Are we leaving now? I can't wait to go! Hurry up, Uncle Harry!" and he rushed from the table.

"Hold it, Little Man!" Harry said as he caught Teddy by the waist, preventing him from rushing out. "You need to put your dishes in the sink, then you need to get dressed. As much fun as it could be, it's probably best that we didn't leave with you still in your pajamas."

Teddy looked down at his cloths, then blushed, hair turning from black to pink in embarrassment. "Oh, yeah. Guess you're right," his face lit up again, hair changing back to the same ebony as Harry's, "I'll go do that!" and squirmed his way out of Harry's arms and ran to the stairs.

"No running, Edward Lupin!" Andy shouted after him with a chuckle of her own before turning to Harry, "Thanks for spending time with him today, Harry. What ever happened last night, I'm sorry for that too, and I hope who ever hurt you gets their head out of their arse before they're too late in fixing it." With that said, Andy stood, taking his and Teddy's plate, along with hers, and moved to the sink to start the dishes.

Harry stared after her, surprise on his face. He quickly composed himself and said, "I'm glad you're alright with me taking Teddy for the day."

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Andy said with a look over her shoulder. "And I see what you're doing, avoiding the obvious," she scolded, returning to her task.

"Of course, I am, what kind of man would I be if I talked about my feelings?" Harry asked with a hint of a smile directed at her back as he stood and started to gather the leftovers.

Before Andy could respond, Teddy came crashing into the kitchen, "I'm ready, Uncle Harry! Can we go now?" He asked, even as he was picking himself up from the floor.

"I have half a mind to keep you home after I told you not to run in the house, young man!" Andy said with a hand on her hip and a wooden spoon in her hand, soap suds still clinging to it.

"Sorry, Grandma!" Teddy said with a nervous glance at Harry. "It's just…Well, It's Uncle Harry and we haven't ever done anything just the two of us before…"

Harry stifled the chuckle that wanted to escape, but held it in, barely, even as he sent a glace to Andy. "You rotten boy!" she said with exasperation. "Go one. The both of you!" she said with a barely concealed grin of her own as she waved them both out of her kitchen.

"Right, Andy. We'll go on our way then," Harry said with a chuckle. "Come on, Little Wolf, it's time to head to the zoo. I expect that will take us right to lunch," and he led his godson out to the front room and out the door with a shouted goodbye to Andy.

Once the two were outside, Harry glanced down at Teddy, "Alright, Teddy, ready for the London Zoo?" he asked.

"Yes!" he said with a wide grin.

"Alright. There are a couple rules that you'll have to follow," Harry told him. "Rule number 1: You can't change your features or the color of your hair. 2: No talking about magic. This is Muggle London. 3: Have as much fun as you can."

Teddy nodded before asking, "Can we go now?"

Harry chuckled as he ruffled his godson's hair, "Alright, hold my hand and I'll take us close to the zoo." Once harry had a firm grip on Teddy's hand, he let the shadows from around them envelope them. It was only a moment before they reappeared around the corner from the London Zoo.

The two wandered around the zoo, Teddy exclaiming over all the different animals that they could see. When they got to the wolf enclosure, all Teddy wanted to do was curl up with the animals and play with the cubs. The Zoo keepers were amazed as the cubs danced around the edges of their enclosure closest to Teddy. By the time lunch came, Teddy was ready to see more of London, though he extracted a promise from Harry to come and see the wolves again.

After lunch, Harry took Teddy to a tour bus that would take them all over London, Stopping at Big Ben and later the London eye. Once they got to their last destination, Harry insisted that they wait until closer to sunset to ide the Eye. By this time, Teddy was growing tired, and once they've gone around twice, Teddy was ready to go home and to bed.

Harry let out a sigh once he came back down and sat on the couch. "Tired?" Andy asked softly when she came to join him.

"Exhausted. It's the one thing I miss. The need not to sleep for a couple of days, if at all," Harry said, eyes closed.

"So, you don't sleep while you're there?"

"There isn't a need to, though I do on occasion to break up the monotony of all the paperwork. It helps having Emberly though. She brings a nice distraction and helps to remind me to have fun occasionally as well."

"That's good. I'm glad you're not alone in that. Now, tell me what happened last night that brought you back here so devastated. Of course, you don't have to tell me, but I would like to be able to help you if needed," Andy offered gently.

Harry leaned forward, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. "Right…I kind of wanted to forget about that for a while longer." He glanced up at Andy, sadness and defeat shining in his green eyes. "It was Severus…" he started.

"Severus Snape? But I thought he had died," She asked, shock clearly on her face.

"He nearly was, but I saved him. Perhaps I shouldn't have, but I was selfish, and I felt he deserved a better life than the he was handed. He deserved far better than what he got, and I tried to give him that, only for it to back fire spectacularly."

"Why were you selfish when you saved him, Harry?"

"Because I've loved him since…well, for me it feels like forever. I didn't want to lose him, so I saved him. I was the one that put him into a magical coma. It was my fault that he had suffered while in that coma, so, I became determined to save him from me. I found a potion that would help. When I gave it to him, I told him how I felt. I thought he was still asleep. I didn't realize that he was already waking. He confronted me about it, and I left. I wasn't ready for him to know…" his voice trailed off, and his heart heavy.

"Oh Harry! I'm so sorry." Andy said as she moved over to him and pulled him into her arms comforting him.

They sat there for some time, Harry soaking up all the comfort that he could. As much as he loved Severus, he wouldn't be the one to go to him. He has lived for centuries ferrying the dead to their afterlife. He has watched as loved ones were reunited once again, but he could not bear the certain rejection of facing the man that he would move Heaven and Earth for.

* * *

 **Timeline:**

 **Chapter 25: Harry  
** **June 29, 2008 – Harry spends the day with Teddy and tells Andy about Severus's survival and his feelings for the dour Potions Master**


	27. 26: Andromeda

**Disclaimer: I don't own it!**

 **A/N: Both my beta and I have been busy with RL. At this time all chapters, starting from the last chapter, will be unedited until time can be found once again. Once the chapters have been revised, they will be uploaded and a note made saying that it has been edited.**

 **I would also like to note that I will be uploading chapters on a biweekly basis.**

* * *

 **Andromeda**

After having put Harry to bed, Andy went to check on Teddy. Upon opening the door, she saw her little wolf sleeping peacefully, something that she hoped Harry would finally be able to do after all these years.

She took her leave of her grandson's room and headed to bed herself. Tomorrow was sure to be a long day. Teddy had his summer sports practice and She had several appointments at St. Mongo's as the head Mind Healer, though she was thinking of retiring while Teddy is at Hogwarts.

The following morning, she woke up to Harry cooking in the kitchen and Teddy telling him of his plans for the day, asking him if he wanted to stay and watch their practice. She smiled as she entered the kitchen fully as Harry spoke, "Of course I will, Little Wolf. It sounds like a lot of fun."

"Good morning, Harry, Teddy," Andy called as she moved to give Harry a hug before going to the table to do the same to Teddy. "I hope you both slept well."

"Better than the night before," Harry told her with a tired, but a more relaxed, smile.

"I did too, Grandma!" Teddy said with a loud smile.

"That's wonderful to hear," Andy said as she sat at her usual place as Harry placed a full English on the table. "I'm glad to hear that you plan to spend more time with Teddy, Harry. I have several appointments today and it eases my mind knowing that you'll be with Teddy when I can't."

"Of course. I'm happy to do so, Andy, you know that." Harry assured her as he joined them at the table and helped Teddy load up his plate before doing the same to his.

"I can't wait to introduce Uncle Harry to my friends. Of course, they all think that I'm making up stories about you, Uncle, but I'll show them!" and the little boy grinned before digging into his breakfast.

Andy laughed as she started on her own breakfast and smiled at Harry's raised brow. "Now Teddy, you mustn't stoop to their level, but I'm sure you'll have a great time introducing Harry to your friends and coaches."

"It will be nice to meet your friends, Teddy. I look forward to it," Harry said with a fond smile.

"Oh!" Andy said as she finished eating, "Before I forget, Draco called yesterday while you were out and said the Emberly was home and doing well."

She saw his eyes widen, as if he had completely forgotten something rather important, before he gave another fond smile, pleased with the news. "That's wonderful news, Andromeda. Thank you."

"Who's Emberly?" Teddy asked with a mouthful of sausage.

"A very special little girl that was badly injured when I found her. I was near your cousin, Draco's, place and asked him to take her to St. Mongo's for me. I didn't particularly want to deal with those that would ambush me with questions when I had an injured child that needed healing in my arms. It would have been a recipe for disaster," Harry explained, but she felt there was far more to the story. "You remember me telling you about her yesterday, don't you?"

Teddy scrunched up his face in though before a smile flashed and he said, "Oh yeah! I remember now. You said I could meet her, right?"

"Of course, but only once she's well enough to go playing again. She's younger than you by about five years," Harry told him patiently.

Teddy nodded, finished off his breakfast before taking his empty plate and glass to the sink and hurrying up to his room to get dressed for practice.

"There's more to that story of yours then you're saying, Harry Potter," Andromeda said with a raised brow as she stood and started clearing the table.

"Yes, but he is far too young to understand right now," Harry informed her.

She nodded and shooed Harry out of the kitchen to get dressed himself, before heading out for the day. As she placed the last dish to dry, she wiped her hands and heard Teddy call out, "We're going to the park, Grandma!"

"Alright you two! Have fun!" she called back and soon heard the door close behind her boys. With an absent nod, she returned to her room and proceeded to get ready for her shift at Mongo's and the patients she would be seeing.

As her morning went on, she had three consultations and two appointments. Once she made it through that, she headed down to the cafeteria for lunch. It was there she heard the rumors of Lord Malfoy showing up two days before with a little girl. She listened to the two medi-witches that sat behind her as they gossip with each other.

"I heard the little girl was close to her death when Malfoy brought her in." the first one said.

"Yes, I heard that too," the second said. Andy imagined she nodded as well.

"I also heard that he went to the Ministry to gain temporary guardianship of the girl and that he stayed the whole night and morning after before taking him home," the first continued.

"That's surprising. Isn't he one not to venture into Magical London since his divorce and disownment of his son?" the second asked.

"That's what I've heard. Hasn't been seen in England, let alone London, for five years."

"I wonder what he looked like after all this time," the second said with a sigh.

Andy shook her head and finished her lunch before she returned to her office. She had invited Draco over on numerous occasions and besides the forlorn look he always seemed to carry with him, he looked healthy and as happy as he could be, despite everything he had been through over the years.

She spent the rest of her afternoon busy with four more appointments and two consultations before she finally headed home to Teddy and Harry. She was tired and all she wanted was to sit down, eat dinner and spend a couple quiet hours with her two boys.

As she walked through the front door, she could hear Teddy laughing and smell dinner cooking. The was something said, probably by Harry, and Teddy was answering only for the both to laugh once more. Andy smiled, happy to hear Harry laugh so genuinely.

"Boys! I'm home!" she called out to them as she placed her cloak on the back of the chair she passed on her way to the kitchen.

"Did you have a good day, Andy?" Harry asked as he placed dinner on the table as Teddy set it.

"It was like any other day at the office with a healthy dose of rumors from the rumor mill filtering through the staff cafeteria," she told him. "How was practice, Teddy?"

"It was great! They were all shocked to see Uncle Harry!" he said with a grin, sitting next to her.

Andy chuckled at the boy's grin. "That's wonderful to hear."

Harry chuckled as he started eating before he asked, "What rumors?"

"Oh, nothing much, just about Draco bringing in a little girl only to get temporary guardianship over her. He stayed the whole night, only leaving yesterday afternoon after lunch. From what some of the young medi-witches were saying, he is looking rather well for someone who hasn't been seen in nearly five years," Andy told him with a smirk as she took a sip of water.

"Good, it's what I wanted. I'm just glad Draco isn't putting up much of a fuss over taking guardianship of her," Harry said with a small smile.

"I feel there is a story to that comment, Harry Potter!" Andy said with a smile and a chuckle.

"Isn't there always a story when it comes to me, Andromeda?"

She shook her head in amusement as the three of them continued their dinner, chatting about the little things that happened during the day. It wasn't long before she and Teddy were clearing the table and washing the dishes.

"Grandma?" Teddy asked from beside her.

"Yes, Teddy?"

"Why is Uncle Harry so sad?"

Andromeda stopped what she was doing and turned to her grandson, kneeling before him with a sad smile of her own. "Your Uncle Harry is…it's difficult to explain and not something I feel I _can_ explain. Uncle Harry will talk about it when he is ready. All I want you to worry about is spending time with him. He has missed you a great deal."

She watched as Teddy try and process what she told him. He frowned in confusion for a moment before he looked back up at her and nodded. "I…think I understand. Is he going to be ok?" he asked, looking back up at her.

"He will be, given time. Don't you worry about that, ok?" Andy told him, trying to reassure the boy. Teddy nodded so Andy continued, "Alright, why don't you run along and get ready for bed. Read some of your books and relax before bedtime?"

Teddy nodded and headed for the stairs that would lead him to his room. She stood and brushed her hands down her skirt, getting any loose dirt off. Andy let out a sigh and finished cleaning the kitchen when Harry came in.

"I saw Teddy heading to his room. Everything alright?"

"Oh yes, he's just getting ready for bed, but he is worried about his Uncle Harry."

"Worried about me?" Harry asked.

"Yes. He wanted to know why you were sad. I told him that it wasn't something that I could explain and that you would talk about it when you're ready too."

Harry nodded slowly before saying, "Can we talk about it?"

Andy gave him an understanding smile and nodded. "Of course, Harry. Let me put on some tea and we'll go sit in the living room." At Harry's nod, she moved over to the stove and put the kettle on. "Alright, dear, let's go sit for a bit while the water heats up," and she led him into the other room and set him on the couch before sitting next to him.

"I thought he would have come and find me…" He started, his voice dejected. "Andy, what if he doesn't…why did he…" he stopped, unable to put words to his thoughts.

"What happened the other night, Harry? When you came back after the little elf took you?" she asked, hoping that by starting there he would be able to find the words he wanted. What she didn't expect was a chocked sound coming from him that sounded suspiciously close to a sob, but she waited.

Harry shook his head before finally starting. "It was Severus. He wanted to talk about Emberly, about why he had been in a coma, and about my confession three years ago when I gave him the potion that healed him. I had thought he wasn't awake enough to hear me, but…" he trailed off, hands clenched in his lap.

The kettle sounded in the kitchen and Andy stood, "Give me a moment while I get our tea, then we'll continue, ok?" At Harry's nod, she went and got started on their tea. It only took a few minutes before she returned with a tray and two mugs of hot tea, doctored the way they each preferred. Handing a mug to Harry, after setting the tray on the table before them, she settled next to Harry again, and waited, watching him with worry.

"I didn't want him to find out the way he forced me to tell him. I wasn't ready to talk to him about how I felt. I've waited so very long time to talk to him again…this isn't how I wanted to go about it. I…I don't want to be rejected Andy…I don't think I'll be able to live if I lost him after everything I've done to make sure he was alive for me to talk to…even if it was for one last time…"

"Oh Harry…" Andy whispered as she took his mug and placed it on the table next to hers before pulling him into her arms, much like she did the night before. "Severus is a very private and prideful man. What ever was said, there is a very good chance that it was his own insecurities and his need to understand that got in the way to make him act the way he did."

"I…I know, but I still thought he would come find me…it's been two days and I'm barely holding it together," he whispered as he buried his head in her shoulder, hugging her back just as tightly as she held him.

Andy wasn't sure what else she could tell him. She didn't know Severus very well, but what she did know of him was that he hid behind his attitude and his biting tongue when he was afraid. "Did you ever think, Harry, love, that perhaps Severus is just as afraid as you about rejection?"

Harry didn't say anything to that, though he did hold onto her a bit tighter at her words. Perhaps he had thought about it, but he was too afraid to confront the man about it. *Knock knock* came suddenly from the door. He clutched at Andy for just a moment, not wanting the moment of comfort to end, but knowing she had to answer the door. Once she stood, Harry took the opportunity to lie down on the couch, and she strode to the door.

"Severus!" Andy said, shocked to see the man suddenly there when she opened the door.

"Hello, Andromeda. Is Harry here by any chance. There are some things the two of us must discuss, and I am hoping that he is available," Severus asked.

Andromeda looked over the man for a moment with narrowed eyes, but there wasn't any anger in them. She noted the bouquet of flowers he held and used her Black training from when she was a girl and interpreted their meaning, along with the ribbons it was tied with.

"He is, but before I let you in, I should inform you that whatever your reaction was to how he feels for you, you hurt him terribly. If you know what's good for you, I would tread carefully, or you may find yourself at the end of my wand," Andy told him, "With that said, I know that your just as afraid as he is." The last said barely a whisper, not wanting Harry to hear those words.

"I swear on my magic and life, Andromeda, that I have not come here to hurt him any more than I already have." There was a sudden flash of magic and a muttered _"Expecto Patronum!"_ and a raven flew about the entry way. It was curious, but she could see how a Raven could represent Harry.

"That will have to do. He is on the couch," and she walked away. She was half way up the stairs when she heard Severus's cry.

"Oh Merlin, Harry, I'm so sorry!" Looking over at the couch, she saw Severus place the bouquet on the table by their abandoned tea. She watched as the Potions Master pulled Harry into a tight embrace, holding him before running his fingers through Harry's ebony locks. She closed her eyes before continuing up the stairs to check on Teddy as she heard Harry let go of the well of emotions he buried since he returned two nights before.

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 **Please read and review!**

 **Timeline:** **Chapter 26: Andromeda**

 **June 30, 2008 – Andy goes about her day while Teddy takes Harry to his sports practice. After dinner, Harry talks to Andy once more, only to be interrupted by Severus's unexpected arrival.**


	28. 27: Severus

**Disclaimer: I don't own it!**

 **Chapter Summary:** **Severus spends the day with Emberly in the gardens and greenhouses before preparing to go and apologize to Harry for what he has done**

 **A/N:** **A/N: Here is chapter 27! Hope you enjoy Severus' POV and his interactions with Emberly! This chapter has been uploaded with out being edited. Please forgive any mistakes that are found, and if there are any that are glaringly obvious, please let me know!**

 **Expect and update in about two weeks!**

* * *

 **Severus**

Dinner that night had been stilted. Severus had no idea how to act around the child that both Draco and Harry thought of as their own. He was pleased to see how well Emberly and Draco got on, especially after what he learned about what had happened to poor Scorpius. They may not have known each other for long, but it was rather obvious that they knew _of_ each other from Harry.

Thinking of Harry made his heart ache. He had no intention to hurt the man when he revealed what he had heard. He had only wanted an explanation for what he had said, for why he hadn't stayed.

Severus ate mechanically. Fork to plate, food to fork, fork to mouth, chew, swallow, and repeat. He half listened to Emberly and Draco talking, getting to know each other. It was odd in some ways. Emberly was obviously intelligent and mature, but at the same time, very child-like. Draco would say something, then try to explain what he felt the gilr didn't understand, only for the girl to laugh happily and tell him she knew what he was talking about. Draco would smile, though there was a sadness to it, around his eyes, and his smile wouldn't quite meet them.

Severus desperately wished he had been there for Draco through the horrors of what he had gone through. He was the boy's, now man, godfather, the father the Draco always wanted, but never had the chance to get. Severus should have been there…

He stopped that thought quickly, or he would have found himself blaming Harry, and it wasn't his fault, not truly. Harry had only wanted to help, and his magic wasn't stable, and things happened that he had no control over. He set his silverware down on his plate and closed his eyes as he placed his hands, clasped together, in his lap. The look of Harrys face, the panic, the fear, the undeniable hurt. It was something that he could never erase, not even behind his shields. He wouldn't want to any way.

"I believe I'll be heading up to bed, Draco, Emberly. I find myself rather tired, a great deal has happened, and I have much to think about," Severus said as he stood from the table. "Good night to you both."

"Good night, Uncle," Draco said softly, though Severus could hear the concern in his voice.

He was startled when small arms wrapped around his legs. He looked down at the child with chocolate hair and sapphire eyes looking back up at him. "It's ok, Daddy will listen when you go talk to him." She gave him a sweet smile with her shining eyes, hugged his legs tighter and said, "Good night, Mr. Severus, sir," and she scurried back to her chair to finish her dinner.

Severus glanced over at Draco, startled. Draco's pale silver blue eyes we laughing as he tried to hide his smile behind his glass. He did the only thing he could do and glared at the boy before turning on his heal and gliding out of the room, up the stairs and into his bedroom. Once the door was closed, he leaned his back against the wood, letting his head fall back with a soft thump and let out a breath. _Merlin, what am I going to do now?_ He thought, his eyes closed as he slid down the door so that he was sitting, and if he thought about for longer than a moment, he might have asked himself if that was exactly what Harry was doing over at Andromeda's.

Severus didn't think he would be able to make it until the following day, and even if he did, he would have to wait for several more hours, seeing as Harry would be spending the day with his own godson. He sighed and let his head fall forward in to his waiting hands, despair filling him, _what a mess,_ he thought once more.

He stood quickly and went to his bathroom and prepared for bed. The wasn't any reason for him to go thinking about doing anything now. He would have a whole day, even if he wanted to rush over to him and apologize for the words he said and his actions. They were all uncalled for, but there was nothing for it.

Severus, once dressed for bed, slid between the silk sheets, turned out the lights, and laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, hoping the next several hours would hurry by so that he could speak with the man that has loved him for centuries…

 **Next Day**

Severus woke with a start, only to hear knocking on his door. Standing and putting on his dressing gown, he opened the door, expecting Draco, only to find a little six-year-old, with her chocolate curls and bright sapphire eyes looking up at him, much like the night before, with a smile that lit up her eyes. He blinked before saying, "Good morning, Emberly."

"Good morning, Mr. Severus. Papa said it was time for breakfast," she told him, her hands behind her back as she twisted from side to side.

"I see. Please tell him I'll be down shortly, that I just have to dress for the day," Severus told her, unable to keep the smile back.

The girl gave a wild nod and a happy "Okay!" before dashing over towards the stairs.

Unable to keep quiet, Severus called after her, "No running in the house! Especially near the stairs!" He closed his door after he heard her unapologetic "Sorry!" with a shake of his head.

Once dressed, Severus made his way down to breakfast. "Good morning, Draco."

"Morning, Uncle. Did you sleep well?"

Sending a glare his way, _he knew full well I didn't sleep well!_ Severus took his seat with a mutter, "Well enough, considering."

"I'm happy to hear it, Uncle. As a reminder, Harry is spending the day with Teddy, so it would be best to wait until tonight to speak with him. With that said, I have some business with Gringotts today, and thought that, perhaps, you could spend the day with Emberly. Show her the gardens." Draco told him as he took a sip of his morning tea.

Sending another glare at the boy, Severus was about to answer when Emberly spoke, "DO you have flowers in the garden? Oh, you should see Daddy's garden! It so big and has so many different flowers and plants!" She said excitedly.

With a small shake of his head, not seeing the harm in it, and he could take the opportunity to test her knowledge, Severus gave the child a smile and said, "Yes, there are many different flowers and other plants as well. You can help me while I harvest some ingredients for potions."

"I'd really like that, Mr. Severus!" the bubbly child said.

"Wonderful! I'll leave Emberly in your capable hands, Uncle. I'll be leaving after we've finished breakfast."

"Of course, Draco. And when should we expect you home?" Severus asked with a raised brow.

"I should be home in time for dinner," was the answer as Draco returned to eating.

Severus plated his own breakfast and ate, thoughts returning to what, exactly, he was going to say to Harry when he saw him next, his heart clenching in thought of hurting him more than he already did. He wanted nothing more than to see the man smile, truly smile, again.

Once breakfast was over, Emberly hugged Draco goodbye before he left in a swirl of green flames. Once he was gone, the girl turned to him and asked, "Should I change? Into something else?"

He blinked down at the child before he registered what she said, "Yes. It would be best if you wore something that you wouldn't mind getting dirty. Once you've changed, meet me in the gardens. It's through the back door. If you get lost, you can always call the elf to show you the way."

"I know the way! Pap showed me yesterday," and with that she was gone, once more scurrying up the stairs.

Shaking his head in mild amusement, Severus headed for the gardens himself. He went to the flower bed, closest to the back door so that he could be easily seen and got started on weeding and tending to the plants.

"I'm ready!" was an excited shout with the breathless panting of a child that ran all the way through the house to the gardens after changing.

Severus looked up at the girl, unamused. "What did I say earlier, childe? There's to be no running in the house."

Emberly blushed and gave him a shy smile, "I'm sorry, Mr. Severus. I'm just so excited!"

Severus gave a huff of unamused amusement, and turned back to what he was doing, "Come over here." He called to her. Once the girl was kneeling beside him, he spoke again. "First we're going to do some weeding. We don't want the plant's roots to be choked by the weeds, or they won't grow to their full potential. When we get to the plants I plan to harvest, I'll show you how to do that. Do you understand?"

Seeing the girl nod, he pointed to some of the weeds near him and continued to explain, "You can start there. If you have any questions about something your unsure of, please ask, ok?" another nod, "Very good. While we weed, I'm going to be asking you some questions about some of the plants. You can tell me anything you know about them, and if you don't know anything, it's alright to say so," another nod with a smile as little hands deftly started to pull up the weeds, putting them in the pile he already started.

Several hours went by as the two of them moved about the garden. Severus would occasionally show Emberly that, even though it was a weed, it could still be used in potions, and how to handle them when she came across them. When they got to some of the plants he needed to harvest, Severus would pull out a clean and sterilized vial and a silver knife, showing her how to properly harvest certain ones.

When lunch came, the elf called to them, saying there were sandwiches on the patio table for lunch, along with some tear and juice. Standing together, Severus and Emberly made their way to the indicated table.

"What was Daddy like when he was a kid?" came the unexpected question once they were settled, sandwiches in hand.

Severus watched her for several minutes before answering, "He was nothing like I expected him to be, but I never saw it until it was to late. Looking back on his years at Hogwarts, He was a bright boy that knew far to well how to hide his intelligence. He was kind and caring, and once you've earned his trust and respect, he would be loyal to you always. It was When you lost it, that he would be far more cautious."

Severus stopped for a moment, looking at Emberly with a calculating gaze before he continued. "I admit that I saw him as an arrogant, attention seeking, fool of a child, but my judgment of him was clouded by my lingering hate of his father." Severus looked out at the gardens that he learned when he first saw them, were commissioned by Harry and created by Neville Longbottom.

"Harry was the kind of child I wish I had had the opportunity to be. He was smart, cunning, dislike bullies, and hated the fame that the death of his parents gave him." He looked back at the girl who was watching him, eyes bright, as she listened intently. He wondered briefly if she understood what he was telling her, but shook the thought away, having heard the conversation she had had with Draco the night before at dinner. "I wish I had let my feelings towards his parents go, and judge the boy for who he was, not what I was told or expected he would be, for they were completely different things."

"What about now?" she asked softly, taking a bite of her sandwich before washing it down with some orange juice, preferring that over pumpkin.

"Now, all I see is a man that is lonely and hurting, afraid to take what he wants, afraid of being reject. I see a man that cares deeply and wants nothing more than those he cares for, those he loves, to be as happy as they can be, even if it means he doesn't get the happiness that he clearly deserves," was his open and honest response, still feeling a bit off talking to a child of six.

He watched her a moment longer before she nodded and smiled, "Okay!" she said brightly as she went back to her lunch.

When they were done, Severus took her over to the greenhouse that had some of the more exotic flowers. He watched Emberly's eyes light up as she looked around. "Oh, it's so pretty!" she said with wistfulness in her voice, eyes large and bright. "Can I pick some later?" she asked looking up at him.

Again, Severus gave her a calculating look before nodding, "Of course, but I'll be here with you when you do," he told her before leading her over to the closest plants and instructing her on how to care for them.

He found that Emberly was an eager child, not afraid to learn. He found himself hoping that, when she was older, she would become interested in potions. Perhaps, he thought, she would like to learn some easy pre-Hogwarts potions, just so he could get an idea of her skill level. Yes, once this mess with Harry is fixed, he would bring the idea up to him and Draco, get their thoughts on the matter…

 **After Dinner**

"Mr. Severus?" Emberly asked him quietly as they finished eating.

Severus could see Draco looking at the two of them, curious. Ignoring his godson for the moment, he turned his attention to the girl, "Yes, childe?"

"Can I go pick those flowers now?" she asked.

He smiled, thinking back on the flow of conversation the two had in the greenhouse. He nodded and said, "Of course. DO you know which ones you would like to pick?" he asked. Seeing her nod, he stood and said, "Well, we best be doing it then," and held out his hand for her to take.

Seeing the girl smile so brightly, her sapphire eyes shining like the gems they reminded him of, Severus lead her back out to the gardens and to the greenhouse they had worked in after lunch.

Once there, he followed her as she pointed at the flowers she wanted. As he watched her, and helped when she needed it, he quickly took notice of the flowers she chose. It was an odd combination, but it also showed her intelligence. There were some Alstroemeria for friendship and devotion, mixed with a lighter red carnation for admiration.

He spotted several daffodils, if left alone in a bouquet would convey "I'm sorry" but as they were mixed with others, he imagined they stood for rebirth and new beginnings. Yes, that was exactly what he wanted…a new beginning. Then there was a larkspur for an open heart and protea for courage. He gave a soft chuckle, yes, he needed courage in this.

There we a few tulips, all white for forgiveness with some tea roses that said "I will always remember", and he would. He would always remember what Harry did for him, what he went through, the pain, the hurt, the fear. Yes, Severus would remember. The last few flowers were just as telling as the others.

Gardenias that represented a secret love that he couldn't argue with, and blue Irises for faith and hope. The last was a hyacinth. It was purple and summed up everything that he wanted to tell Harry when he left to go see him. "I'm sorry, please forgive me." It showed his sorrow…his sorrow for hurting him so terrible and unintentionally. What Severus wanted the most was for Harry to understand that he wasn't rejecting him in any way.

When Emberly was finished and she artfully organized them so that they could all be seen at a glance and tied with ribbons of turquoise, brown, olive green, and grey. All of them somehow complimenting the flowers they were tied around. She turned to him with a sad smile, but a hope in her eyes. "Here, take these to Daddy…he'll understand. And, if your able, can you tell him I miss him?"

Severus knelt before the girl with a sad smile of his own. "Thank you, Emberly. And yes, when I'm able, I'll tell him you miss him," and he pulled her into a hug, careful of the bouquet she made for him. Pulling from her, his hands gently resting on her shoulders, "I should be getting ready and heading over to speak to him. I thank you for your help, Emberly. I will not forget." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently.

When he stood, he gathered the carefully picked and arranged flowers in one arm and held out his hand for her to take as they headed back into the house. Once in the living room, where Draco sat in a chair before the fireplace, Emberly left and headed upstairs after telling Draco she was going to take a bath.

"Are those the flowers she picked?" Draco asked, setting his book down, a finger marking his place, in his lap.

"Yes, clever little thing that she is," Severus told him with a smile.

"She is, yes. Harry has done a wonderful job raising her the way he did."

"He has," he looked at the flowers in his hand before handing them to him, temporally, "Can you hold these for a moment while I go and change?"

"Of course, Uncle," Draco said, taking them and then transfiguring a coaster into a vase before placing them in it.

"Thank you," he said with a gracious smile before he, too, headed upstairs to change into something a bit more appropriate to go and apologize and speak to Harry. He would forego robe, seeing as Andromeda lived in the muggle world versus the magical.

Upon arriving at the Tonks residence, he hesitated for a moment before knocking. It was a few moments before the door was opened and Andromeda stood there, shocked to see him. "Severus!"

"Hello, Andromeda. Is Harry here by any chance. There are some things the two of us must discuss, and I am hoping that he is available," Severus asked, nervousness in his voice as he stood in front of the formidable woman with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

Andromeda watched him critically before answering, "He is, but before I let you in, I should inform you that whatever your reaction was to how he feels for you, you hurt him terribly. If you know what's good for you, I would tread carefully, or you may find yourself at the end of my wand. With that said, I know that your just as afraid as he is."

Severus didn't doubt her for a moment before he spoke again, "I swear on my magic and life, Andromeda, that I have not come here to hurt him any more than I already have." There was a sudden flash of magic sealing the vow he spoke before he incanted, _"Expecto Patronum!"_ and a sliver-blue light illuminated the front entryway and a large raven flew about him before he released it. A raven, how unexpected. They typically represented Death's messengers. He felt that it was fitting in this case, knowing who Harry was.

"That will have to do. He is on the couch," she told him before she walked away towards the stairs, presumably to check on her grandson.

Severus walked over and rounded the couch, only to stop in shock at what he saw. It broke his heart all the more, seeing the man that has cared for him for centuries and done everything he could to help him, to save him…

He quickly placed the bouquet on the table before he moved in front of the couch at Harry's head, pulling him into his arms and he fell to his knees. "Oh Merlin, Harry, I'm so sorry!" When Harry went into his arms without protest. Severus started to run his fingers through Harry's hair, only for Harry to let go of his bottled-up emotions and cling to Severus, who held him all the closer to him.

* * *

 **Timeline: Chapter 27: Severus**

 **June 30, 2008 – Severus spends the day with Emberly in the gardens and greenhouses before preparing to go and apologize to Harry for what he has done**

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